Ok, we have Fox’s announcement. I was about to post MLB Network’s announcement on its deal to air games, but Fox’s press release just came in so I’ll post this first.
- Under the new deal, Fox will retain rights to the Saturday Baseball Game of the Week, All-Star Game, one League Championship Series and the World Series.
- Fox picks up rights to two League Division Series. It will sell rights to two LDS games to MLB Network. Each year, it will alternate leagues with Turner in the postseason so one year it will carry American League postseason games and the next, National League playoff games.
- In addition, it increases its amount of regular season games from 26 to 52 games, 12 of which will be exclusive to Fox.
- 40 games can be shown on other Fox outlets, most likely on its new all-sports cable channel to be rebranded as Fox Sports 1.
- The Fox Saturday Baseball games will now be made available to MLB Extra Innings and MLB.TV, subject to local blackout.
- Fox also gets streaming rights on its platforms.
- It also gets the rights to a nightly highlights show.
We have further details in the Fox press release below.
FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP REACHES EIGHT-YEAR MULTIPLATFORM RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH MLB
Expanded Package Includes World Series, LCS, Division Series & All-Star Game
Regular-Season TV Coverage Doubles; Mobile & Digital Highlight Rights Enhanced;
FSMG Secures “TV Everywhere” Rights to FOX-Televised Games
New York & Los Angeles — FOX Sports Media Group and Major League Baseball have reached a new eight-year, multiplatform media rights agreement that significantly increases FSMG’s television, digital and Spanish-language rights and keeps FOX as MLB’s national broadcast television home through 2021. The agreement was announced today by MLB commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig and FSMG co-presidents Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. FOX Sports has been a national MLB rights-holder since 1996, and the sport’s exclusive national broadcast partner since 2001.
Under terms of the newly executed agreement, FSMG retains the television rights to most MLB jewel events, including the World Series, one League Championship Series, the All-Star Game and beginning in 2014 adds coverage of two Division Series. That same year FSMG also doubles its Saturday regular-season telecast windows from 26 to 52 and gains rights to develop MLB-branded programs, expanded footage and highlights for linear and digital platforms, “TV Everywhere” rights for FOX-televised games; and Spanish-language rights.
FSMG’s new and expanded rights agreement with MLB includes:
– An eight-year term running from 2014 to 2021, which is the longest of FOX’s four national rights agreements with MLB.
– FOX remains the exclusive broadcast home each year to the World Series and All-Star Game, MLB’s crown jewel events. The network has carried 14 of 16 Fall Classics and 15 of 17 Mid-Summer Classics since 1996.
– FSMG televises one League Championship Series a year, alternating leagues each season with TBS. FOX has broadcast 22 of 32 LCS played since 1996.
– FSMG gains rights to televise two Division Series annually, with one game from each series carried by MLB Network. FSMG televises the ALDS in the same years as the ALCS and vice versa when airing the NLDS and NLCS. FOX carried Division Series games from 1997 to 2006.
– Rights to 52 national regular-season windows, two per Saturday, double the 26 included in the current rights agreement:
o 12 exclusive Saturday windows featuring up to 45 games are slated for broadcast on FOX.
o Beginning in 2014, subscribers of MLB Extra Innings and MLB.TV have the opportunity to watch Saturday MLB on FOX games subject to certain geographic black outs that protect games assigned to local FOX affiliates.
o As many as 40 single game windows on a nationally distributed FOX channel.
– Rights to a nightly MLB-branded baseball-specific highlights program during the regular season with rights to live game look-ins, in-progress game highlights and MLB library footage.
– A weekly 30-minute program produced by MLB Productions.
– Right to use MLB library footage in one nightly, multi-sport news and information program.
– FOX Deportes, the top-ranked Spanish-language sports network in the country, has the right to carry all games televised by FSMG, including the All-Star Game, Division Series, LCS and World Series.
– Highlight rights for FSMG digital platforms.
– FSMG has “TV Everywhere” rights to stream all FSMG televised games and MLB related programming in both regular and postseason.
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said: “I have often said in recent years that we are living in the golden age of baseball and that the game has never been more popular. But to see the unprecedented and historic commitment these networks have made to televising Major League Baseball for years to come is truly amazing. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am thrilled that we will continue our relationships with both FOX and Turner. Both networks are passionate about baseball and are committed to covering, promoting and growing the sport, and I want to thank them for their continued support.”
“It is with tremendous pleasure that we’re able to extend and advance our relationship with Major League Baseball for another eight years,” said Freer and Shanks. “Baseball, both nationally and regionally, has been part of our DNA here at FOX for a long time, and we’re looking forward to working with MLB on many new initiatives that will grow and promote the sport in coming years.”
No other media company is as committed to live coverage of Major League Baseball as FSMG. In addition to the national media rights granted to FSMG, FOX Sports Networks (FSN), the nation’s largest regional sports network group, offers unparalleled local coverage, and serves as the local TV partner to half of all MLB teams and produces more than 2,000 MLB telecasts annually. FSN also offers fans comprehensive access to their favorite teams through a deep mix of original programming and up-to-the-minute news, information and analysis on its MLB pregame and postgame shows.
FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP REACHES EIGHT-YEAR MULTIPLATFORM RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITH MLB
Expanded Package Includes World Series, LCS, Division Series & All-Star Game
Regular-Season TV Coverage Doubles; Mobile & Digital Highlight Rights Enhanced;
FSMG Secures “TV Everywhere” Rights to FOX-Televised Games
New York & Los Angeles — FOX Sports Media Group and Major League Baseball have reached a new eight-year, multiplatform media rights agreement that significantly increases FSMG’s television, digital and Spanish-language rights and keeps FOX as MLB’s national broadcast television home through 2021. The agreement was announced today by MLB commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig and FSMG co-presidents Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. FOX Sports has been a national MLB rights-holder since 1996, and the sport’s exclusive national broadcast partner since 2001.
Under terms of the newly executed agreement, FSMG retains the television rights to most MLB jewel events, including the World Series, one League Championship Series, the All-Star Game and beginning in 2014 adds coverage of two Division Series. That same year FSMG also doubles its Saturday regular-season telecast windows from 26 to 52 and gains rights to develop MLB-branded programs, expanded footage and highlights for linear and digital platforms, “TV Everywhere” rights for FOX-televised games; and Spanish-language rights.
FSMG’s new and expanded rights agreement with MLB includes:
– An eight-year term running from 2014 to 2021, which is the longest of FOX’s four national rights agreements with MLB.
– FOX remains the exclusive broadcast home each year to the World Series and All-Star Game, MLB’s crown jewel events. The network has carried 14 of 16 Fall Classics and 15 of 17 Mid-Summer Classics since 1996.
– FSMG televises one League Championship Series a year, alternating leagues each season with TBS. FOX has broadcast 22 of 32 LCS played since 1996.
– FSMG gains rights to televise two Division Series annually, with one game from each series carried by MLB Network. FSMG televises the ALDS in the same years as the ALCS and vice versa when airing the NLDS and NLCS. FOX carried Division Series games from 1997 to 2006.
– Rights to 52 national regular-season windows, two per Saturday, double the 26 included in the current rights agreement:
o 12 exclusive Saturday windows featuring up to 45 games are slated for broadcast on FOX.
o Beginning in 2014, subscribers of MLB Extra Innings and MLB.TV have the opportunity to watch Saturday MLB on FOX games subject to certain geographic black outs that protect games assigned to local FOX affiliates.
o As many as 40 single game windows on a nationally distributed FOX channel.
– Rights to a nightly MLB-branded baseball-specific highlights program during the regular season with rights to live game look-ins, in-progress game highlights and MLB library footage.
– A weekly 30-minute program produced by MLB Productions.
– Right to use MLB library footage in one nightly, multi-sport news and information program.
– FOX Deportes, the top-ranked Spanish-language sports network in the country, has the right to carry all games televised by FSMG, including the All-Star Game, Division Series, LCS and World Series.
– Highlight rights for FSMG digital platforms.
– FSMG has “TV Everywhere” rights to stream all FSMG televised games and MLB related programming in both regular and postseason.
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig said: “I have often said in recent years that we are living in the golden age of baseball and that the game has never been more popular. But to see the unprecedented and historic commitment these networks have made to televising Major League Baseball for years to come is truly amazing. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am thrilled that we will continue our relationships with both FOX and Turner. Both networks are passionate about baseball and are committed to covering, promoting and growing the sport, and I want to thank them for their continued support.”
“It is with tremendous pleasure that we’re able to extend and advance our relationship with Major League Baseball for another eight years,” said Freer and Shanks. “Baseball, both nationally and regionally, has been part of our DNA here at FOX for a long time, and we’re looking forward to working with MLB on many new initiatives that will grow and promote the sport in coming years.”
No other media company is as committed to live coverage of Major League Baseball as FSMG. In addition to the national media rights granted to FSMG, FOX Sports Networks (FSN), the nation’s largest regional sports network group, offers unparalleled local coverage, and serves as the local TV partner to half of all MLB teams and produces more than 2,000 MLB telecasts annually. FSN also offers fans comprehensive access to their favorite teams through a deep mix of original programming and up-to-the-minute news, information and analysis on its MLB pregame and postgame shows.
