A television camera is pointed toward the field at Dodger Stadium.
(Los Angeles Times)
In court papers, the parent company of the FanDuel channels projected streaming revenue would jump so greatly that the channels would be profitable even as cable and satellite income fell by nearly half in the next four years.
MLB isn’t convinced. However, the Angels signed a three-year deal, and the five other FanDuel teams also agreed to short-term deals that expire no later than 2028, according to a person familiar with the matter.
At that point, the league’s national broadcasts with ESPN, Fox and TBS expire. Streaming rights could entice one of those broadcasters to pay up to retain MLB games — and could lure the likes of Apple, Amazon or YouTube to bid as well.
So long as the Dodgers and other marquee teams such as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees continue to generate big bucks on their own, it is unlikely they would grant their broadcasting rights to MLB.
Come 2028, however, if MLB can pool the teams it now airs with the FanDuel teams, a package of roughly half the league’s teams could be attractive — and, for fans of those teams, potentially blackout-free.
