Roku Clinches MLB Deal

Roku has secured the rights to Major League Baseball (MLB) Sunday Leadoff live games for The Roku Channel.

Beginning May 19, Sunday MLB games will be available for free on The Roku Channel. Roku will also feature a new MLB Zone, highlights, recaps and an MLB FAST channel.

“As television programming, live sports and the leagues have fragmented across networks, apps and multiple packages, Roku—home to all of them—plays an increasingly crucial role for viewers and advertisers,” said Charlie Collier, president of Roku Media. “With this deal, Roku delivers free, live, weekly Sunday baseball and 24/7 baseball curation, destinations and channels across our platform. The lead-in to all of television is now the lead-off for Sunday baseball as well. It’s a terrific partnership.”

“With free games available to anyone, MLB games on Roku will be widely accessible to fans,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s deputy commissioner, business and media. “Since Roku serves as an entertainment gateway for millions, this partnership offers a valuable new promotional and distribution platform for MLB games and content.”