(KNSI) – Minnesota Twins fans will have another option to catch their favorite team starting with the 2026 season.
On Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced new media rights deals for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and the Wild Card playoff round, a package that ESPN opted out of earlier this year. Of interest to Twins fans is what ESPN is replacing the deal with.
The MLB.tv streaming service will become available through the ESPN app, and that includes all local games distributed by the league. Fanduel Sports Network North stopped carrying the hometown nine in 2025, making the Twins one such club where in-market viewers can watch through the ESPN online/smart phone option.
The derby, a standalone opening night game, and other special event games like the Field of Dreams contest, which features the Twins in 2026, will be carried by Netflix going forward.
NBC Universal is making the biggest splash. Sunday Night Baseball is headed to network television with Peacock hosting the early game. Peacock will also have an NFL Red Zone-style whip-around show on Sundays featuring the biggest moments in every afternoon game, providing comprehensive weekend coverage of the sport similar to what the National Football League receives.
The deal lasts for the next three seasons. The move comes as television ratings surged in 2025 for the sport. Game Seven of the World Series got more viewers than the NBA Finals or the college football national championship game. Baseball will see a 45% revenue increase from the prior deal that was owned exclusively by ESPN, but it will also provide significantly more content in return.
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