MLB’s New Media Shuffle: Weakness, Strength, or Just a Sign of the Times?

Why Texas fans should care even when the story isn’t “about” Texas

Major League Baseball just announced a new set of media rights deals — short-term arrangements that pull ESPN further out of the baseball business, bring NBC back to Sunday night baseball for the first time in decades, and somehow rope Netflix into hosting Opening Night and the Home Run Derby.

On paper, none of this screams Texas.

But if you’re an Astros or Rangers fan (and if you’ve ever tried to figure out which streaming service the night’s game is on), this story hits closer to home than you think.

This is MLB rearranging the furniture while waiting for a full renovation in 2028 — and it raises the big question I can’t shake:

Is this a sign of MLB’s strength… or a sign they’re scrambling to hold things together?

Let’s Take the Tour — And Then I’ll Tell You What My Take On It Is

There’s a lot going on in these deals, and depending on which headline you read, you can walk away thinking MLB is either skyrocketing into the future or duct-taping the present together.

So let’s walk through what actually happened, piece by piece — and then I’ll tell you whether I think this is strength, weakness, or simply the new reality for sports media.

NBC Takes Over Sunday Nights — And That’s Not a Small Thing

The headliner: NBC is taking Sunday Night Baseball away from ESPN, ending a 35-year run.

This feels like one of those moments where you look around and ask, “Wait… when did that start happening?”

NBC now plugs MLB into a year-round Sunday primetime lineup with:

The NFL
The NBA
And now, the marquee MLB game of the week

That’s the kind of synergy TV executives dream about. And when NBC Sports has conflicts (and they will), Peacock will carry those games exclusively.

The Texas angle:
If the Astros or Rangers land in that prime Sunday slot — and they will — get ready for your first “Is this on NBC or Peacock?” moment. And because Peacock also gets one out-of-market game every day, you’re going to bump into it more often than you think.

Bottom line:
NBC isn’t dabbling. They’re investing.

Netflix Dips a Toe Into Live Baseball

Netflix doesn’t want the full-season grind. It wants moments.

They’re taking:

Opening Night
Home Run Derby
The Field of Dreams game
One special-event game per year after that

Netflix is collecting global tentpole moments it can turn into streaming spectacles.

This won’t change how Texas fans watch daily baseball, but I think it does prove something:

Netflix chose baseball as one of its first meaningful live sports experiments. That says something about what the brand believe’s MLB’s appeal is.

And Opening Night on Netflix? That’s not small — that’s strategy.

ESPN Steps Back — No Matter How the Press Release Spins It

ESPN is losing:

Sunday Night Baseball
A huge portion of its game inventory

They keep:

A 30-game national package
The Little League Classic
And they gain:
- MLB.TV distribution rights
- Some local rights in MLB-run markets

But the money they’re paying? Roughly the same as before. ESPN is paying the same amount for less baseball.

That’s not a creative reimagining. That’s a retreat.

But it fits ESPN’s broader pattern:

NFL and NBA at the center
Everything else arranged around them
A strategic pivot toward their new direct-to-consumer app

The Texas angle:
Expect fewer ESPN national broadcasts involving the Astros and Rangers.
NBC just scooped the spotlight.

And Yes — The Roku Experiment Is Over

Roku’s run with MLB was short-lived and awkward. The broadcasts weren’t marketed well. They weren’t executed well. And they never felt like a real plan.

Now NBC picks up Sunday mornings. ESPN picks up MLB.TV distribution rights. MLB doesn’t need Roku anymore. This isn’t weakness — it’s consolidation.

MLB is centralizing, simplifying, and stabilizing its broadcast footprint heading into 2028.

And here’s the part that jumps out at me the most: Roku — with its poorly marketed, poorly executed broadcasts — wasn’t the future. It wasn’t even a plan. It was a bridge. And now it’s clear it was a bridge to another bridge, because MLB’s real destination is 2028.

We’re living through a true paradigm shift in how baseball is delivered, and in ten years we’ll look back on this moment as the beginning of that transition.

The Real Question: Why Only Three Years?

Short-term deals usually signal uncertainty. Here, I think they’re actually the opposite — they’re strategic. MLB wants to hit the 2028 marketplace with:

Maximum leverage
A clean slate for national + local rights
A fully collapsed RSN landscape they can rebuild
Streamers competing for survival
Cable bundles in their final decline
Tech giants hungry for live sports content

MLB is buying time now so they can sell bigger later.

What This Means for Rangers and Astros Fans

The ripple effects will be felt:

More games appear on Peacock
National games shift to NBC instead of ESPN
Opening Night on Netflix could involve Houston or Texas
MLB.TV may become easier to access through ESPN
Blackouts may finally weaken during the next cycle
Houston’s long-term local rights situation could become part of MLB’s broader 2028 restructuring

In other words:

Find the game. Find the app. Hope the subscription fee hasn’t gone up again.

College and High School Sports Should Pay Attention

If NBC thrives with year-round Sunday primetime sports, don’t be surprised if:

Big XII football
Texas college baseball
And even select high school showcases

…start to appear in experimental streaming windows on Peacock or NBC platforms.

The big leagues move first. Everyone else eventually follows.

ESPN’s Identity Crisis

To me, this whole situation says more about ESPN than MLB. The network is split between:

The broad sports channel it used to be
The streaming-first company it’s becoming

Shedding baseball isn’t a commentary on MLB. It’s a commentary on ESPN’s priorities. And baseball may actually benefit by moving toward partners who want its content more aggressively.

MLB.TV 2.0 — And Maybe the End of Blackouts?

One of the most underreported details: ESPN now holds the rights to distribute MLB.TV and certain local streaming packages. In practical terms, that could lead to:

MLB.TV becoming part of ESPN’s app
Unified national access
Simplified subscriptions
Blackouts becoming negotiable or obsolete in 2028

This is the tectonic-plate movement fans have been waiting for.

The RSN Collapse Made All of This Necessary

Bally/Diamond’s bankruptcy didn’t just disrupt broadcasts — it broke the entire regional sports model. MLB stepping in to run broadcasts for the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Twins was only the beginning.

Texas isn’t immune. Astros fans lived through RSN purgatory once already.

The short-term national deals are part of MLB’s broader attempt to rebuild a stable, league-controlled media structure for the long haul.

My Final Take: Strength, Weakness… or Just Reality?

So, here’s where I land after taking the full tour:

Signs of Strength

MLB replaced ESPN’s lost inventory with more money
Added NBC and Netflix
Riding rising viewership
Expanded marquee event programming
Maintained flexibility for a bigger 2028 reset

Signs of Weakness

ESPN clearly pulled back
MLB had to sweeten the pot with MLB.TV rights
The RSN collapse forced improvisation
Short-term deals reflect marketplace volatility

My Verdict

This isn’t weakness or strength — it’s adaptation. Baseball isn’t collapsing or skyrocketing. It’s evolving.

And here’s the part that really matters:

Roku wasn’t the plan. It was a bridge to a bridge. A stopgap stacked on top of another stopgap while MLB waits for the 2028 reboot that will redefine how baseball is delivered.

We’re not watching contract negotiations. We’re watching a paradigm shift in real time.

If the end result is…

Easier access
Fewer blackouts
More competition
And clearer national coverage

…Texas fans — and fans everywhere — will be better off.