Major League Baseball (MLB) is preparing for another significant reshuffle in its domestic broadcast portfolio, with reports suggesting that Apple TV is set to lose the rights to Friday Night Baseball. The package, first acquired by Apple in 2022, marked the tech giant’s entry into live sports broadcasting — but its exit could now signal a recalibration of MLB’s long-term media strategy.
From Apple’s First Move Into Sports to a Sudden Exit
When Apple picked up the Friday Night Baseball rights three years ago, it was seen as a landmark moment. The deal, reportedly worth $85 million per season through 2028, was supposed to establish Apple as a serious player in sports streaming.
Instead, Apple’s tenure looks to be cut short, with NBC and Peacock poised to acquire both the Friday Night and Sunday Night national broadcast packages, according to Yahoo Sports. This move reshapes MLB’s presence across US networks while raising questions about Apple’s appetite for sport beyond its ongoing $2.5 billion global partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS).
ESPN’s Early Exit Creates Ripple Effects
The shift is triggered by ESPN’s decision to end its MLB rights deal three years early, walking away from a $500 million annual contract that was set to run until 2028. ESPN cited costs that were “out of step” with MLB’s broader broadcast ecosystem — a remarkable irony, given Apple’s deal was also viewed as inflated at the time.
In response, MLB has worked aggressively to reassign packages:
- NBC/Peacock to take over Friday and Sunday night games.
- Netflix expected to secure rights to the Home Run Derby, marking its latest push into live sports.
- ESPN nearing a deal to integrate MLB.TV — the league’s out-of-market streaming product — into its forthcoming direct-to-consumer platform.
The Bigger Strategic Picture
The latest developments underscore MLB’s shifting approach to media rights:
- Short-term fixes are plugging the ESPN gap, but the league is already planning for post-2028, when it hopes to bundle national, local, and international rights to maximise revenues.
- For Apple, losing MLB reduces its sports presence to MLS alone — raising doubts about whether it truly intends to become a top-tier sports broadcaster. While it has been linked with properties like Formula One and the NFL, concrete moves have been rare.
- For NBC, the acquisition strengthens both its linear sports offering and the growth of Peacock, which now boasts premium properties across the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
365247 Insight
Apple’s exit from MLB demonstrates that deep pockets alone don’t guarantee staying power in live sports. What once looked like a defining play for Apple has instead revealed the tech giant’s hesitancy to scale its sports portfolio.
Meanwhile, MLB benefits from redistributing rights across multiple platforms and partners — gaining exposure on NBC, innovation potential with Netflix, and strategic alignment with ESPN’s evolving DTC ecosystem.
The key takeaway: sports media is no longer about singular blockbuster deals. The future is multi-platform, diversified, and flexible, where leagues balance revenue with reach, and broadcasters use sport as an anchor to grow streaming ecosystems.
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