ESPN is on the verge of an eight-year deal worth $5.6 billion that includes the rights to “Sunday Night Baseball,” nationally televised games Monday and Wednesday nights and one wild-card playoff game.
The contract, reported by Sports Business Daily, adds the rights to digital, international and radio in addition to domestic television rights for which ESPN had paid $306 million annually. The average of the current deal is $700 million per year.
ESPN currently doesn’t have rights to MLB playoffs.
SBD reports ESPN networks plan to increase the number of games it showcases MLB’s most popular teams, including the Yankees and Red Sox.