Major League Baseball To Be Broadcast On SPORT1 In Germany Until 2026

SPORT1 is the new “Home Base of Baseball” in German-speaking countries until 2026: Sport1 GmbH has acquired the platform-neutral exploitation rights from Major League Baseball (MLB) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the next five seasons from 2022 up to and including 2026 – with exclusive rights for linear broadcasting on pay-TV and free-TV in Germany. On pay-TV on SPORT1+ and on the multisports streaming platform SPORT1 Extra, which was launched in September, at least 150 matches of the regular season will be broadcast per season, and at least 15 matches on free-TV on SPORT1.

Next year, the Regular Season will start with Opening Day on March 31 and run until October 2, 2022. The All-Star Game, which will take place next year on July 19 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and the Home Run Derby on July 18, also part of All-Star Week, will also be shown live on free-TV. In the Postseason starting in early October – with the Wild Card Round, Division Series, Championship Series and the World Series as the crowning finale – at least 30 games are scheduled on SPORT1+ and SPORT1 Extra. In the playoffs, selected matches will also be broadcast on free-TV, including at least two games of the World Series.

In total, as many as 500 games per season will thus be broadcast live on SPORT1+, SPORT1 Extra and on free-TV on SPORT1. In addition to the live games, the weekly highlight magazine “MLB’s Best” and current highlights in “SPORT1 News” will also be shown on TV. In addition, there will be comprehensive framework coverage with highlight clips on SPORT1’s digital and social media channels.

Dominick Balsamo, Senior Vice President, Global Mediafor Major League Baseball, also commented on the partnership: “Showcasing Major League Baseball Clubs and players with respected and strategic media partners in international markets is a vital component to the growth of our game. This multi-media relationship with SPORT1 will cover every aspect of our season, from Opening Day through the World Series, and give us a strong presence to build on in Germany and its surrounding markets.”

Olaf Schroeder, CEO of Sport1 Medien AG and Chairman of the Management Board of Sport1 GmbH:“Thanks to the pioneering and long-term partnership with Major League Baseball, we have one of the premium US sports rights in our portfolio for our pay offers, but also for our free-TV station and our digital and social media channels until 2026. We are the ’home base’ of baseball in German-speaking countries: This is excellent news for all US sports fans in this country! Together with MLB, we want to further increase the popularity of the league through 360° staging on our platforms, also here in Europe. The starting point is very promising – because with Max Kepler, Germany has a great figurehead and a fantastic ambassador for this fascinating sport.”

On the announcement of the new partnership: Germany’s baseball superstar Max Kepler and Markus Solbach visiting SPORT1

In the coming season, the special focus from a German perspective will again be on Berlin-born Max Kepler from the Minnesota Twins. To announce the new partnership between Major League Baseball and SPORT1, the 28-year-old right fielder was also a guest at SPORT1 in Ismaning near Munich as part of his home visit, together with Markus Solbach – the Dormagen native is under contract as a pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the big SPORT1 interview in Ismaning, Max Kepler talked about the cooperation with Germany’s leading 360° sports platform and gave a preview of the upcoming season: “That’s great! We want to push our sport even more in Germany together with SPORT1 – that’s why we’re on the road here at home right now. If baseball is also presented even more in the media, that’s very helpful in reaching a broader audience.”