Netflix Enters Baseball Broadcasting with Yankees-Giants Season Opener

Netflix is expanding its live sports coverage by broadcasting Major League Baseball games, starting with Wednesday night's season opener between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. The streaming giant has secured a three-year deal worth $50 million annually to air three marquee MLB events each season.

The streaming platform Netflix is making its debut in Major League Baseball broadcasting, launching Wednesday evening with the season-opening matchup featuring the New York Yankees against the San Francisco Giants.

This inaugural broadcast marks the beginning of a three-game package that Netflix has acquired, which will also feature the Home Run Derby and the special Field of Dreams contest between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies scheduled for August 13.

The streaming service’s entry into baseball follows a familiar pattern established with the NFL, where successful documentary programming demonstrated viewer appetite for the sport before moving into live game coverage.

Major League Baseball found itself with available broadcast inventory after ESPN decided to exit its rights agreement in February of last year.

While Netflix secured these three premium events, NBC and Peacock have taken over broadcasting duties for “Sunday Night Baseball” and the Wild Card Series.

Brandon Riegg, who serves as Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, acknowledged that while many expected the platform to broadcast the Home Run Derby, a single event wouldn’t have made business sense.

“This is in with our event strategy. On opening night, there’s only one game, and it’s on Netflix. And then doing the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams, we can capitalize on the renewed fandom and energy around baseball,” he said.

The streaming company is investing approximately $50 million annually over three years and has obtained global broadcasting rights for these MLB events, similar to its NFL arrangement.

Netflix previously demonstrated its baseball broadcasting capabilities by streaming all 47 World Baseball Classic games live and on-demand in Japan. The platform also holds U.S. broadcasting rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

Historically, MLB featured a single opening-night game on Sunday when seasons traditionally began on Monday, but recent years have seen the season start on Thursday instead.

“All of the events feel unique, and it’s our job to elevate those elements to make them even brighter. I think when you do that event approach, our experience at least has been you’re pulling in all the existing fans, but really you end up recruiting a lot of people that wouldn’t normally or wouldn’t have otherwise engaged or watched it,” Riegg said. “I think that’s always a big win for the league, and it’s certainly a big win for us.”

MLB Network will handle production responsibilities, with Matt Vasgersian calling play-by-play, former players CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence providing analysis, and Lauren Shehadi serving as field reporter.

Elle Duncan, who transitioned to Netflix from ESPN in December, will anchor pre-game and post-game programming. Her broadcast team includes Giants legend and seven-time National League MVP Barry Bonds, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rizzo.

These same broadcasting teams are anticipated to cover the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams game as well.

“I think what folks have seen us accomplish on the platform, and also knowing we’re only doing a couple of things over the year. I think it allows greater flexibility for some of the talent we’re approaching, so they don’t have to lock themselves into a really long schedule or a high volume of commitment. I do think we’ve been able to have conversations with some talent that otherwise wouldn’t either be interested or available to do it,” Riegg said.

The contest will showcase Yankees power hitter Aaron Judge, a Northern California native who was courted by the Giants during 2022 free agency before ultimately signing a nine-year, $360 million deal to remain in New York.

The game will also mark the major league managerial debut of Tony Vitello for San Francisco, who moves up from the University of Tennessee where he guided the Volunteers to a College World Series championship in 2024.