Another service is reportedly angling to move more MLB games off of TV to streaming-only.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that Roku is in “advanced talks” to air MLB games on Sunday mornings, with games starting at 11:30 a.m. or around noon.
Major League Baseball had a similar deal with Peacock last season for “MLB Sunday Leadoff,” which moved 19 games to the streaming platform as part of a one-year deal. Marchand reports that Peacock has been interested in a similar package this season, but didn’t want to pay as much money.
MLB still has a deal in place for “Friday Night Baseball” on AppleTV+, which features two exclusive games each week.
Unlike Peacock and AppleTV+, the Roku games would be available through a free service. Although, moving the games away from the usual cable TV provider still presents a potential headache for fans.
The deal, which is reportedly still pending, could affect the Boston Red Sox schedule moving forward in 2024. If a deal is agreed upon, some games on the schedule could be moved to Roku — and start at an earlier time.
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The Red Sox currently have three games this season scheduled to air exclusively on Apple TV+, May 24, May 31 and June 28 — with additional dates likely to be added later this year. The Roku deal would likely increase the number of games moved off of TV to streaming-only.
Games starting before noon are a rarity in Major League Baseball. Typically, the Red Sox are the only team with such a start time on their schedule, with the annual Patriots Day game starting before noon.
In 2023, the Red Sox had one game affected by Peacock’s “MLB Sunday Leadoff” package, an Aug. 13 game against the Detroit Tigers, which started at 12:05 p.m.
Red Sox games game typically air on NESN, with occasional games airing nationally via ESPN, FOX and TBS. However, moving to a different channel presents a lesser challenge for viewers who have a conventional cable TV subscription.
While leagues and networks will boast about new services helping to expand their sport’s reach, the rise of streaming-exclusive sports broadcasts have thrown a wrench in the historically simple process of following a local sports team.
Streaming-exclusive broadcasts have gained steam in other leagues as well. The Boston Bruins have had select games limited to ESPN+ in recent seasons. Meanwhile, the NFL has moved games to services such as Amazon Prime and Peacock.
However, the NFL has rules in place that require streaming-only games to air on conventional TV in a team’s home market. MLB and the NHL have no such requirements in place.
