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Sunday morning Major League Baseball games could be aired on a new platform.
MLB, which previously aired Sunday morning games on NBC subscription service Peacock, is in talks to have Roku take over the games, per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
According to Marchand, NBC is interested in holding onto the “MLB Sunday Leadoff” package, which airs nearly 20 games. Marchand reported that NBC paid $30 million per season for the rights to the package but was looking to renew a contract for “about a third of that price.”
MLB and Roku have yet to ink a deal, Marchand reported, so it is still possible the league decides to go a different direction.
In a package with Roku, games would start streaming as early as 11:30 a.m. and be exclusive to Roku until the afternoon slate begins at 1:30 p.m. Marchand did report that Roku could air a lighter schedule than Peacock did last year because it couldn’t land a deal before Opening Day.
While Peacock has aired plenty of sporting events, including NFL playoff games, a pact with MLB would be Roku’s first major live-rights deal. Roku, known for its smart TVs and streaming devices, began its own programming with its channel, where games would air.
Marchand noted that if a deal happens, games will be produced by MLB Network due to Roku’s lack of infrastructure.
The potential deal comes as MLB navigates several TV rights struggles. Diamond Sports’ failure to come to an agreement with Comcast has left fans with the service unable to view 12 teams’ games.
ESPN is also reportedly “likely” to end its $550 million yearly deal with MLB to air for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and first-round playoff games.
With threats of losing viewers looming, landing a deal to get Sunday morning games to a permanent home this season could be a good move for MLB.
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