By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Roku is in “advanced talks” with Major League Baseball to stream a schedule of exclusive Sunday morning regular season games which were available last year on Peacock, reports The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. However, the two sides do not have a signed agreement yet, the article states. (The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint earlier reported that Roku had emerged as a “suitor” for the games.)
Peacock allowed its contract with MLB to cease after last season. The Athletic article says the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service wanted to sharply reduce its payment.
If Roku and MLB reach an agreement, it would allow Roku to offer a game at 11:30 a.m. or Noon ET on Sundays which would be the only one in play until 1:30 p.m. ET that day. Peacock last year offered the exclusive Sunday morning games from late April to early September. It’s unclear when Roku’s schedule would begin and end.
It’s also uncertain if Roku would stream the games on its Roku Channel, which is available for free on devices besides Roku, or exclusively on Roku devices. MLB Network is likely to do the production for the games, The Athletic says.
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The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
