Netflix is set to expand its live sports offering with a significant new partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), kicking off on Wednesday night with the Opening Night game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. Following successful forays into NFL and WWE content, the streaming giant is aiming for another major hit with its latest venture.

This inaugural game marks the beginning of a three-event package for Netflix, which also includes the popular Home Run Derby and the unique Field of Dreams game, scheduled for 13 August, featuring the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.

The streaming platform’s move into baseball mirrors its strategy for the NFL, where successful documentaries first demonstrated audience interest before live game rights were secured. This timing aligns with MLB’s search for new broadcast partners after ESPN opted out of its rights deal last February, leaving an inventory of games and events available.

Beyond Netflix’s acquisition of these three marquee events, NBC/Peacock has also become the new home for “Sunday Night Baseball” and the Wild Card Series. Netflix is reportedly paying an average of $50 million per season over three years for these rights, which also grant it worldwide exclusivity for the three MLB events, similar to its NFL arrangement. The company previously streamed all 47 games of the World Baseball Classic live and on demand in Japan and holds US rights for the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, explained the strategic thinking behind the deal. “This is in with our event strategy. On Opening Night, there’s only one game, and it’s on Netflix. And then doing the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams, we can capitalise on the renewed fandom and energy around baseball,” he stated. He added that this approach helps “pull in all the existing fans, but really you end up recruiting a lot of people that wouldn’t normally or wouldn’t have otherwise engaged or watched it.”

The Opening Night game will be produced by MLB Network, with Matt Vasgersian providing play-by-play commentary, joined by analysts CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence, and Lauren Shehadi as a reporter. Elle Duncan, who recently moved to Netflix from ESPN, will host the pre-game and post-game coverage. She will be joined by baseball legends Barry Bonds, a seven-time NL MVP, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rizzo. The same production teams are expected to cover the Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams game.

The Yankees-Giants clash will feature Yankees slugger and Northern California native Aaron Judge, who was a free agent target for the Giants in 2022 before re-signing with New York. It also marks the major league debut of San Francisco manager Tony Vitello, who joins from the University of Tennessee, where he led the Volunteers to a College World Series title in 2024. Riegg noted that Netflix’s limited annual sports commitments offer “greater flexibility for some of the talent we’re approaching, so they don’t have to lock themselves into a really long schedule or a high volume of commitment.”

This expansion into live MLB events underscores Netflix’s growing ambition in the competitive sports broadcasting landscape, aiming to leverage high-profile events to attract and engage a broader global audience.