Report: Peacock to Broadcast 18-Game MLB Package in New Sunday Time Slot

Major League Baseball is finalizing a deal with Peacock for exclusive rights to stream 18 baseball games on Sundays during the 2022 season, per Lillian Rizzo and Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal.

NBCUniversal's streaming service would air six games at 11:30 a.m. ET, and 12 others would start just after noon. Most of the games would take place on the East Coast given the early start times.

The news comes one day after MLB's lockout ended after three-plus months. Spring training games start on March 18, with Opening Day scheduled for April 7.

MLB has been busy making deals lately.

John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reported on Tuesday that Apple TV+ will air weekly Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders in 2022. In addition, Apple TV+ will feature a 24/7 highlights livestream, game replays and a highlight show (MLB Big Inning).

Per Forbes' Mike Ozanian, Apple is paying $85 million annually ($55 million rights fee and $30 million worth of advertising) over seven years for the exclusive rights to those games.

MLB and Comcast’s NBC Sports also came to terms on Monday and Wednesday night games that were formerly part of the ESPN package.

It's a two-year deal worth $30 million annually. Most of the games will be streamed on Peacock, and they are deemed to be non-exclusive (i.e., available still on regional sports networks).