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Disney Locks Down MLB and Soccer Programming With New Deals
- Agreement puts games on ESPN, ESPN+ and on the ABC network
- ESPN has been on a sports-rights renewal binge this year
Photographer: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Walt Disney Co. announced a new seven-year agreement with Major League Baseball and an eight-year pact with Spain’s LaLiga soccer league, the latest in a series of sports-programming deals by the media giant.
Disney, the parent of ESPN, will broadcast 30 regular MLB games per season, 25 of them on Sunday nights, the company said Thursday. Under a previous contract, it had been airing 90 games, but most weren’t exclusive and could also be seen on competing local channels.