The network will also carry MLB’s Home Run Derby. ESPN will broadcast 25 Sunday games, a national MLB game of the week and the “MLB Little League Classic.” ESPN will also televise five additional games exclusively, including an Opening Night telecast. The new seven-year deal, which will commence in 2022, will last through 2028.ĮSPN is walking away, largely, from airing weekday baseball outings and its total number of games is expected to fall to about 30 to 40 games, compared with around 90 in past seasons. AT&T parent DirecTV, which recently sold a big stake in the satcaster to private equity giant TPG, has made it clear that DirecTV will not renew its “Sunday Ticket” contract with the NFL when it expires after the 2022 football season.Ĭhapek said a “Sunday Ticket” deal was “something we’re considering” but quickly emphasized that it would only make sense if it “adds shareholder value.” It’s unclear if Disney sees “Sunday Ticket” as an add-on for its ESPN Plus streaming service or something for the mothership ESPN linear cable platform or possibly as an incentive to bring sports fans to its Hulu Live service.ĭisney in March already inked a whopping 10-year deal with the NFL to renew “Monday Night Football” rights for ESPN in a pact that puts ABC back in the Super Bowl rotation for the first time in more than 15 years.Ĭlick here to sign up for Variety’s Media Earnings newsletterĭisney also confirmed Thursday that ESPN has struck a new deal with Major League Baseball that will see the sports-media giant air a narrower package of games, primarily for its “Sunday Night Baseball” franchise. At present DirecTV charges about $400 a year for the service. Disney is in discussions with the NFL about possibly picking up the “Sunday Ticket” franchise that has been a pillar of DirecTV for years.ĭisney CEO Bob Chapek said during the company’s quarterly earnings call Thursday that the company is “in conversations” with the NFL about picking up the service that offers NFL super-fans the option of watching any out of market games.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |