5:17PM: The new broadcast contract covers the 2022-2028 seasons, with Turner Sports paying roughly $470MM per season, as per John Ourand and Eric Prisbell of Sports Business Daily. In addition to the one LCS, Turner will also have the rights to two Division Series and one wild card game per year. This is notable given that expanded playoffs have been a prominent part of negotiations between players and owners for the 2020 and possibly the 2021 season as well. “The expectation is that this deal does not include rights to any additional playoff games, which would have to be negotiated separately,” Ourand and Prisbell write.
4:23PM: MLB has reached an agreement on a billion-dollar deal with Turner Sports that will allow the network to continue broadcasting a postseason package that includes one League Championship Series, reports Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Though the length and precise terms of the deal remain unknown, it’s expected to be a considerable increase over the $350MM Turner had been paying annually under their current agreement.
The two sides have agreed to a deal in principle, but it is not finalized and has not yet been voted on for approval by the owners.
The network’s current deal expires following the 2021 season, so it will remain in place for this season with the new deal’s term beginning a few years from now.
While the deal itself is no doubt notable for the sport, its announcement comes at an awkward time for the league, given the state of negotiations between the owners and the players. And although the consummation of a new contract won’t have any real ramifications on this season in particular (it won’t kick in until 2022), the sheer value of the TV revenue on tap may cast doubt on MLB’s stance that it would be unable to shoulder revenue losses with no fans in the stands this year—especially in light of Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt’s claims that baseball “isn’t very profitable.”
In negotiations between the players’ association and MLB, owners have been insistent on offering players less than their full prorated salaries, a concession that the players have thus far been unwilling to accept. Needless to say, this development doesn’t strengthen the league’s posture. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that the parties can come to an agreement that puts 2020 baseball back on the menu.
What a waste of money considering there isn’t going to be a LCS
This deal takes effect after this year
Another HORRIBLY bad Manfred idea. Most Americans don’t have access to every cable network. Manfred has no respect for the fans and the major networks don’t care.
Most Americans have access to cable or some sort of streaming service like Hulu or YouTube TV or Sling. I believe the Turner channels can all be streamed through those platforms. How else would you suggest broadcasting the games?
You’re right. If someone offers him $3BIL to set up cameras on a baseball field, Manfred should tell them to go $#@! themselves.
I’m sure there is a
“no play, no pay”
clause…..
Agreed. All future negotiations for anything live has to have changed.
This is bad for baseball if it’s a cable network.
TBS is a cable network.
They’ve been on cable for decades
I think you can still stream TBS and TNT through some of the streaming services like Hulu. Not positive but if so it shouldn’t be too big a deal. People could watch through their cable or through Hulu, YouTube TV, etc.
Try reading the article first Thorshair
Typical Mets fan, clueless
now we’re getting somewhere….. I think
So much for being an owner not being the profitable amirite Bill Dewitt?
Excellent! The Ricketts family will finally be able to eat 3 meals a day!
So, a billion will pay Trout, Harper and Strasburg?
…who are not on the same team
“expected to be a considerable increase over the $350MM Turner had been paying annually”. Man i didnt know those three each made $100 million a year
Over 12 years
Assuming an equal split, that’s $15.6M, which is way more than the cardinals payroll, amirite?
Love it when ppl comment, and it’s obvious by comment they didnt even read article.
Any time you hear something like “not very profitable,” simply be aware of how easy it is to bury profit.
Simply be aware that “not very profitable” is a relative term. From his POV it might not be that great. He didnt say “we don’t make any money”
Rich people always think
the glass is half full…..
Exactly, less profit doesn’t mean no profit at all.
If they can cover the players’ salaries and also keep the lights on, they should pay them. Why should anyone be ok with owners helping themselves to a share of the money they already agreed to pay just because they’re not pocketing quite as much profit as they would have if not for the virus?
If they want fans back, open the books.
@jb226
Divided by 30 owners and assuming firstly it’s in $100 dollar bills and secondly they use the Manfred patented “piece of metal” shovel, in approximately 46 minutes the whole lot will be buried and will re-appear as a loss due to the cost of materials.
Love this comment
Damn that stinks. TBS has the worst coverage. Their broadcasts the sound is drowned out from the crowd in all the games.
Good let the fans drown out Smoltz. He breaks down every pitch of game
So you’re upset over an analyst… um… providing too much analysis?…
What would you prefer he talk about? Lol.
Repeat after me, “It’s good to own a baseball team.”
‘Its good to own a baseball team’….extremely good lol !
Good. Time for the owners to give enough to get season started!
Too much nonsense going on now for sports.
Wow! Worst timing ever to announce this…How dumb can the owners be to do this now whilst claiming poverty. Just lost all leverage and here comes a stupid 48 game season smh…
I was thinking the same thing. Funny how things work, or a lack of reasoning may be to blame instead…
It doesn’t take effect the second it’s announced
This is on Manfred.
But the sport is not profitable…
Yeah. Right.
They said not as profitable. Not that wasn’t profitiable
So TR isn’t going to cover the Yankees story….interesting.
You know that’s pretty new stuff coming out. You think the ink can dry on the paper before you get annoyed with MLBTR writers for not getting an article out yet?
Wait a week and it turns into “Geez not another MLBTR post about this Yankees story”
Ugh. More Ernie Johnson.
That’s what I say, he is awful. Plus TBS you can’t hear the crowd, it sounds like games are taped when they broadcast.
You said earlier the crowd was too loud. Make up your mind
But if he plays both sides he gets to whine double!
I wonder when that letter about The Yankees stealing signs will open. Mlb hid it.
I look at this a different way. Just imagine the players and owners came to an agreement to play in 2020, and this came out later on? You could guarantee a strike when the CBA ended.
Excellent point.
Good now even more commercials to pay for it. 10 mins between half innings. Just what we wanted. ⚾️⚾️. 5.5 hour games
Boy does DeWitt sound like a shyster saying it’s not profitable owning a major league baseball team. I would expect that from Cardinals
I love it when fans try and down the Cardinals. Jealousy and envy will get you nowhere
He never said it not profitable. He said not AS. Profitable
$4m more per team
Not so much when you break it down like that.
Not even enough for a decent relief pitcher.
Don’t teams make the bulk of their money from whatever regional sports network they either own or from broadcast rights fees. Well, except the Nationals, I guess.
The local and national media deals total up to about half the league’s revenue.
Seriously, this is not the deal that they should have finalizing today. Tone deaf on MLB imo
How about focusing on getting baseball this season by any means necessary.
Unrest everywhere, police being disbanded or resigning, autonomous countries being created and not to mention the second wave of the virus. Not the time for sports.
Manfred and MLB take their chunk out of this annual payment too. I do wonder how much of the annual payment does actually go to each team.
Each team gets eighteen dollars and change. Owning a baseball team isn’t all that profitable.
You mean to imply MLB has costs and employees beyond what each team does? Thats it’s not just the teams plus 2 MLB figureheads?
Blasphemy!
That means MLBPA’s position that all revenue goes to each team every season isn’t true, and undercuts Tony Clark’s demands!
This cannot be allowed to stand!
Next I expect you’re going to try to get me to believe that teams have more expenses than just player payroll, or that each franchise doesn’t earn 300 million in pure profit per season???
Like there’s gonna be an LCS
“The expectation is that this deal does not include rights to any additional playoff games, which would have to be negotiated separately,” Ourand and Prisbell write.
That is, of course, unless the MLBPA association is involved, to which they can be heard whimpering “BUT WE HAD A DEAL!!!”
Tell us again how owning a baseball team isn’t profitable, Bill DeWitt? Or does this money go to Cards TV Rights LLC, so you just don’t count it as “St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Club” money?