The conclusion of the 2025 baseball season will also mark the end of ESPN and Major League Baseball’s decades-long partnership. It was announced Thursday at the start of spring training, reportedly as a mutual decision.
The sports network first aired MLB games in 1990. The league expressed disappointment in a statement over the network's reduction of baseball coverage.
"We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage super-serves fans," ESPN said in a statement. "In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN's industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms."
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ESPN said it would consider a less expensive rights deal with MLB. The network cited smaller deals MLB has with Roku.
MLB said in a statement it was willing to work with ESPN, but will look for other opportunities starting next season.
"We will be exploring those opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN's agreement at the end of this year," the league said.
In addition to deals with Roku Channel, MLB also has partnerships with Fox and several of its networks, including FX and Fox Sports 1. Some games also air on the MLB Network, which is primarily owned by MLB.
Turner Broadcasting, parent company of TBS, TruTV and Max, will also continue airing games on Tuesdays. Additionally, Apple+ will air games on Friday.
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