Baseball strikes new TV deals with Fox, Turner
Major League Baseball reached agreeement with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts that will run through 2021 and include rights to the World Series, All-Star Game and one of the league championship series.
The networks will pay approximately $800 million annually for the broadcast rights, with Fox's share about $500 million. Both deals include digital rights to stream televised MLB games and programming through online and mobile outlets.
Fox also will begin coverage of two division series in 2014. Meanwhile, TBS will continue to broadcast one league championship series, two division series and one wild-card game.
In September, MLB announced it has negotiated a new deal with ESPN for rights from 2014 through 2021 for approximately $700 million per year, which, according to reports, nearly doubles the amount of the current contract.
"This is a remarkable day for baseball," commissioner Bud Selig said. "The value of these deals is a manifestation of how far this sport has come, and it's a reflection of how great a year we have had on the field. FOX and Turner have played a key role in our growth of baseball."
The three television contracts total $12.4 billion, a 100 percent increase over the existing deal.
"The new agreement not only keeps baseball jewel events like the All-Star Game and World Series on FOX, but we get to add two Division Series games and it basically doubles our postseason inventory," FSMG co-president Eric Shanks said. "MLB, 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."
The league office also announced that MLB Network will air two Division Series games and has acquired the rights to telecast the All-Star Game Selection Show and the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
