ESPN & MLB Reach New Eight-Year Contract

NEW YORK: ESPN has extended its television contract with Major League Baseball (MLB) through 2021, in a deal worth a reported $5.6 billion.

The agreement is effective from 2014 through 2021. The multiplatform and multi-regional rights extension significantly enhances ESPN’s TV, digital and radio rights for MLB. The pact covers the U.S., Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Africa, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and cruise ships. With the extension, the partnership between the two will have a 30-year history.

MLB commissioner Allan H. Selig commented: “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am thrilled that we will continue our long-standing relationship with ESPN far into the future. The level of ESPN’s commitment to baseball—both financially and through its expanded content—is a testament to the strength of our game and its unprecedented popularity among our fans. Through its various networks and other media platforms, ESPN offers baseball fans more avenues to experience the game than ever before, and we’re thankful for their continued support.”

John Skipper, ESPN’s president, said: “We’re thrilled to renew our long-standing agreement with Major League Baseball into the next decade. It’s a great property. The enormous scope of what we acquired will provide fans with more live baseball and more ways to access baseball content than ever before.”