As part of its bet on live sports, Netflix is to offer Major League Baseball(MLB) games. The streaming platform has been granted broadcast rights to stream three events to the whole world: the season opening match (known as Opening Night), the Home Run Derby (a competition held one day before the League’s All-Star Game) and the MLB at Field of Dreams (a regular season game scheduled for a special day and time that is played at a site popularized by the 1989 movie of the same name). The agreement is to be effective as of 2026 through 2028. The news was announced by the MLB simultaneously with two other announcements: TV rights agreements have also been entered into with Espn (Disney) and NBCUniversal, though in the last two cases they are restricted to the US market.

The move marks a further step in Netflix’s penetration into the live sports segment. At the beginning, the streaming giant’s approach was cautious and was limited to non-official events. However, it has already aired important boxing fights and NFL (US National Football League) games and is to air the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s Soccer World Cup (only for the United States and Puerto Rico), as well as the 2026 World Baseball Classic (only available to the Japanese audience). In addition, this year the OTT has been streaming WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) events, content regarded as sports entertainment.

In connection with the new agreement with MLB, Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria noted: “We started with critically-acclaimed documentaries, deepening the existing global passion for baseball. Now, we are seizing that moment by bringing massive cultural spectacles.”

The agreement will allow Netflix to offer MLB events live beginning in 2026. Within the 2026 season, the OTT is to stream the opening match between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants on March 25, the Home Run Derby on July 13 and the Field of Dreams game between the Minnesota Twins and the Philadelphia Phillies on August 13.