A Peacock subscription could soon be a necessity for sports fans looking to stream the biggest games every Sunday night throughout the year. According to a report from Front Office Sports, NBCUniversal is “intrigued” with the idea of adding Sunday Night Baseball to its lineup. This comes after ESPN decided to opt out of its contract with MLB after the 2025 season, ending their 35-year relationship.
Details from the FOS report:
One source told Front Office Sports that the idea of adding MLB “intrigues” NBC in part because it would mean that the network could have a premium live sporting event on Sunday nights all year long. NBC plans to build on the great success of Sunday Night Football by putting big NBA games in that slot after football season. Baseball could theoretically cover the remainder of the calendar.
NBC last aired the MLB in 2023 as the original home of Sunday Leadoff before it moved over to Roku. However, the network’s relationship with the league dates back to 1947, when it aired until 1989, and then returned from 1996 to 2000. Adding baseball to a lineup that already features NFL Sunday Night Football and will include the NBA on Sunday nights next season would be a homerun for Peacock.
Initially, Peacock wasn’t meant to have live sports, but securing rights to three of the Big Four leagues in North America gives it enough content to become a magnet for many fans. Due to the number of games and the majority of the season being played during the NFL’s offseason, adding baseball could entice more subs for Peacoock and help the platform continue its upward trajectory after reporting a strong fourth quarter to close out 2024. Utilizing Peacock’s exclusivity would be another way for NBC to drive growth to the platform when the baseball and football seasons overlap.
Of course, the question is how much is NBC willing to pay for MLB’s broadcast rights. ESPN was paying $550 million per year in its existing deal but reportedly wanted to renegotiate to no more than $200 million per season. MLB reportedly shut down the idea of accepting less money, so it remains to be seen if NBC would offer what they are searching for. NBC also declined to comment on the FOS story.
NBC is not the only suitor with eyes on Sunday Night Baseball; there are several streaming-friendly suitors, including Amazon and Netflix. Additionally, with the MLB’s current broadcast deal expiring in 2028, the league has reportedly had discussions with Netflix and Amazon for all of its broadcast rights, according to Puck’s John Ourand. The league is looking to make a major streaming shift in 2028 and is reportedly aiming for national blackout-free packages.
Outside of baseball, Netflix and NBC are also in talks with Formula 1 after it was reported that ESPN declined to renew its broadcast rights. With more rights hitting the open market, cord cutters have to continue to adjust streaming subscriptions to find the teams and sports they love, and it looks like that isn’t changing anytime soon.
[Credit: Front Office Sports]