Turner Sports and Major League Baseball Reach Seven-Year Media Rights Extension Through 2028

Turner Sports, a division of WarnerMedia, and Major League Baseball have reached a seven-year multimedia rights extension spanning from 2022 through 2028, it was announced today by Jeff Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News & Sports, and Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. The new agreement builds on MLB's long-standing relationship with Turner Sports and is highlighted by TBS being the exclusive home to the most MLB Postseason games of any network, a new season-long Tuesday night game franchise, expansive digital rights for Bleacher Report and additional WarnerMedia platforms.

TBS’s season-long Tuesday night franchise will include a new studio show anchored by five-time Sports Emmy Award winning host Ernie Johnson with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, World Series Champion Jimmy Rollins and a newcomer in three-time All-Star Curtis Granderson. The new studio team will debut during this year’s MLB Postseason beginning with the American League Division Series. Granderson will have a multi-dimensional role with Turner Sports that will also include creative contributions to Bleacher Report.

“We’re delighted to extend our long-standing relationship with Major League Baseball and all of the opportunities this agreement offers us as we broaden our coverage of the game across all of our platforms,” said Zucker. “We will continue to further evolve our multiplatform delivery of content with a focus on storytelling and innovation in all forms.”

The multimedia rights agreement will extend the partnership between Turner Sports and MLB to more than 50 years. The partnership represents one of the longest-running relationships between a media company and league in the history of televised sports, dating back to 1973 when MLB games were first televised on WTCG (now TBS).

“As we prepare for another year of exciting October baseball, I am proud Turner Sports will continue to be a part of the Postseason as we expand on this long-term partnership,” said Manfred. “This agreement positions both organizations for mutual growth by continuing Postseason coverage on TBS, delivering a new Tuesday night Baseball franchise, and expanding baseball’s presence on Turner Sports’ digital platforms.”

Beginning with the 2022 MLB season, Turner Sports’ enhanced media rights will include the following television rights:

• TBS will exclusively televise one League Championship Series each year of the agreement, alternating between the ALCS and NLCS each season
• TBS will have exclusive rights to televise two of the four MLB Division Series, which will alternate between AL and NL each year (featuring the same league as the network’s LCS coverage)
• TBS will carry one Wild Card Game, which will be consistent with the network’s Division Series and LCS coverage (AL or NL each year)
• TBS will have a new season-long Tuesday night package with a national game telecast each week, doubling the amount of live regular-season game telecasts currently airing on the network

The cross-platform agreement includes digital rights across a wide spectrum of screens and platforms including mobile, web, tablets and connected devices. The agreement also includes:

• TV Everywhere rights that will allow TBS to make its MLB games and related programming available to authenticated subscribers across Turner Sports platforms
• Increased footage and highlight rights for Turner Sports websites and apps, including Bleacher Report
• Rights to create companion and ancillary products related to the TBS broadcast of regular and postseason games

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of WarnerMedia, is an industry leader in the delivery of premium sports content across all multimedia screens. Turner Sports’ television coverage includes Major League Baseball, the NBA, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and ELEAGUE. The company also manages some of the most popular sports destinations across digital and social platforms including Bleacher Report and its top-rated app, the B/R Live streaming sports platform,  NCAA.com and the critically-acclaimed NCAA March Madness Live suite of products, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile sites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA jointly manage NBA Digital, a robust collection of offerings including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, the NBA App and NBAGLEAGUE.com.

Visit the Turner Sports online pressroom for additional press materials; follow @TurnerSportsPR on Twitter.