'MLB Sunday Leadoff' to Be Streamed on Roku; 2024 Schedule Revealed

MLB has found a new home for its early-window games each week.

Per The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, it was announced on Monday that MLB Sunday Leadoff is headed to Roku starting with this weekend's matchup between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. There will be 18 free games streamed on Roku this season, some of which have start times as early as 11:35 a.m. ET.

Roku is a free service without a subscription. MLB reportedly said in a release that an estimated 120 million have access to the service, though Marchand noted it "still might not quell angst when hardcore fans want to find their teams' games." MLB.TV subscribers will have access to all 18 games with no blackouts.

Roku is also set to offer a new MLB Zone to make it easier for fans who use the service daily to find their teams' games. There will also be "a fully programmed MLB FAST channel," which is a free, ad-supported channel.

MLB Sunday Leadoff used to belong to Peacock. Marchand noted that while NBC "liked" its two-year relationship with MLB, the company "only wanted to pay around $10 million per year compared to the previous $30 million per season." Roku swooped in with an offer, though it has not been revealed what it will be paying for its multiyear agreement.

The Roku deal is similar to what Apple TV+ has for Friday Night Baseball, though there is a distinct advantage. While both platforms have the benefit of exclusivity for the games they broadcast, Roku will not face competition from other games being broadcast in the same window. No other Sunday games would be allowed to have a first pitch before 1:35 p.m. ET, per Marchand.