What Major League Baseball does

Major League Baseball is a privately held professional sports league organized as a consortium of 30 independently owned clubs across the United States and Canada, structured into the American League and National League with three divisions each. The league operates a 162-game regular season plus playoffs culminating in the World Series, and oversees a wholly owned minor league development system (MiLB), the 24-hour MLB Network cable channel, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), and the Australian Baseball League. Headquartered in New York, MLB is governed by Commissioner Rob Manfred and is currently operating the 2026 regular season while negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that expires December 1, 2026.

MLB's core technology and product stack centers on MLB.com (news, scores, stats, transactions), MLB.TV (direct-to-consumer out-of-market game streaming, now hosted on the ESPN platform at $119.99 per season), Statcast (camera- and radar-based ball and player tracking), and Baseball Savant (advanced analytics and Statcast leaderboards). The portfolio is extended through MLB Pipeline (prospect rankings and draft coverage), MLB Play (interactive fan games including Immaculate Grid and Beat the Streak), the MLB Draft platform, and youth initiatives under the Play Ball program.

MLB's revenue model is multi-stream: licensing and royalties from national media rights deals with NBC, Fox, ESPN, Apple TV+ (Friday Night Baseball), Peacock, and Netflix (Home Run Derby at approximately $50 million annually under a three-year deal); recurring subscription revenue from MLB.TV; sponsorship and advertising income from partners including MGM Resorts International and BetMGM (sports betting); transaction-fee revenue from ticket sales across 30 teams; and hardware/merchandise sales through mlbshop.com. Customers are segmented into Baseball Enthusiasts, Sports Bettors, Fantasy Baseball Players, and Youth/Amateur Baseball communities, served through direct-to-consumer digital channels and a global broadcast distribution footprint.

Name

Major League Baseball

Legal name

MLB Advanced Media, LP

Website

https://mlb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Major League Baseball is a private professional sports league operating 30 clubs across the US and Canada, generating revenue from media rights, streaming subscriptions, sponsorships, ticket sales, and merchandise while serving global baseball fans through MLB.TV, MLB.com, and broadcast partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports League

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Spectator Sports (71121), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Leagues (MPAKAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

League-Owned Media Networks (e.g., NFL/MLB/NBA/Club Channels) (MPABAJAC), Professional Live Sports Leagues & Tours (MPAGAMAA), Professional Sport Governing Bodies & League Sanctioning Authorities (MPAKAFAE), National Sports Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAC)

Keywords

• Professional baseball league
• Live sports broadcasting
• Subscription streaming service
• Sports media rights
• Baseball analytics platform

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Broadcasting Rights: MLB generates substantial revenue from media rights deals with NBC, Fox, ESPN, Apple TV+, and Peacock. These agreements include weekly game broadcasts, playoff coverage, and special events like the All-Star Game.
2. Streaming Services: MLB sells MLB.TV seasonal subscriptions directly to consumers for $119.99, providing live and on-demand access to out-of-market games. Netflix pays approximately $50 million annually for Home Run Derby rights.
3. Gaming Partnerships: MLB maintains partnerships with MGM Resorts International (exclusive integrated resort and casino partner) and BetMGM (official sports betting partner), both renewed in multi-year agreements covering marketing rights, hospitality activations, and fan engagement.
4. Merchandise Sales: MLB generates revenue through the MLB Online Shop (mlbshop.com), selling jerseys, apparel, and commemorative items including special event merchandise like Fourth of July uniforms.
5. Ticket Sales: MLB generates revenue through ticket sales for all 30 teams' regular season games, playoff games, and special events including the All-Star Game.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Major League Baseball organizes and operates the top-tier professional baseball league in North America, fielding 30 teams across the American League and National League in a 162-game regular season plus postseason. The league monetizes live games and baseball content through media-rights licensing to broadcast and streaming partners, direct-to-consumer streaming via MLB.TV, ticketing, merchandise, and sponsorship deals. It also operates supporting properties including MLB Network, Statcast analytics, Minor League Baseball, and the AUSL softball league.

Product overview

Major League Baseball operates a comprehensive digital product ecosystem centered around MLB.com (official website with news, scores, standings, stats, transactions, and injury reports), MLB.TV (subscription streaming service for out-of-market games), and MLB Pipeline (prospect tracking and draft coverage). Supporting products include the All-Star Game platform, Statcast analytics system, MLB Awards, MLB Play interactive games, MLB Network cable channel, Minor League Baseball, and the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). The portfolio also includes youth development programs like Play Ball. Key events include the MLB Draft and All-Star Week festivities. MLB distributes content through multiple streaming partners including Apple TV (Friday Night Baseball), Peacock, and Netflix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MLB Pipeline: Baseball prospects database and scouting service featuring player rankings, draft coverage, and minor league stats
• MLB Network
• MLB.TV
• MLB Draft
• AUSL

Products and services

• MLB.TV

Quantifiable outcome

• Netflix agreed to approximately $50 million per year for Home Run Derby rights, demonstrating the value of MLB content to streaming platforms
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MGM Resorts InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2026MGM Resorts International continues as MLB's exclusive Integrated Resort & Casino Partner under a multi-year renewal. The partnership, originally established in 2018, covers marketing rights, hospitality activations, and fan engagement across US and Canadian markets. MGM also sponsors MLB Awards Week in Las Vegas.
• BetMGMcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 June 2026BetMGM maintains its position as MLB's official sports betting partner through a multi-year renewal extending their eight-year relationship. The agreement covers marketing access across MLB digital platforms, MLB Network, MLB.com, Apple TV content, and co-branded casino games through BetMGM Casino. Both parties emphasize responsible gaming initiatives.
• Booking.comminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2026Booking.com serves as MLB's Official Online Travel Partner, creating promotional experiences like 'The Phanatic's Phantastic Pad' - a themed accommodation during All-Star Week in Philadelphia offering all-access passes to festivities.
• Traveller WhiskeyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTraveller Whiskey serves as MLB's designated whiskey partner for MLB and MiLB. The partnership includes the 'Rally Cap' cocktail - MLB's first official signature cocktail - served in souvenir cups at select games including Padres, Marlins, and A's games and minor league stadiums.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetflix broadcasts the MLB Home Run Derby as part of a three-year agreement worth approximately $50 million annually. Netflix also holds rights to the Field of Dreams game between Phillies and Twins. This represents MLB's expansion into streaming-first exclusive content.
• NBC SportscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNBC Sports broadcasts MLB games including Sunday Night Baseball and special holiday programming like 'Star-Spangled Sunday' with 15 games across the July 4 weekend. NBC is the first single media company to host that many MLB games.
• Apple TV+coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple TV+ streams 'Friday Night Baseball' games weekly as part of a multi-year deal, providing exclusive MLB content to Apple subscribers.
• ESPNcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorESPN serves as the home for MLB.TV streaming and broadcasts regular MLB games including weekly matchups. ESPN's new deal brought MLB.TV under its platform.
• Fox SportscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFox Sports broadcasts MLB games including the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, and regular season matchups across its broadcast and cable networks.
• PeacockcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPeacock streams MLB games as part of NBCUniversal's MLB coverage, including holiday weekend games and exclusive content not available on broadcast.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Football League: The NFL is the closest direct peer to MLB — a U.S. professional sports league with a similar media-rights-driven business model, franchise ownership structure, comparable scale of broadcast and streaming deals, and the same competition for fan attention and advertising dollars.
• National Basketball Association: The NBA is a U.S. professional sports league operating 30 franchises with media rights, merchandise, and ticketing revenue streams, and a younger, more globally oriented fanbase that competes head-to-head with MLB for the same entertainment wallet.
• National Hockey League: The NHL is a U.S./Canadian professional sports league with a comparable franchise structure, regional sports network distribution challenges, and a similar fight to monetize streaming and international expansion — making it a useful comparable for MLB's media-rights and DTC strategies.
• Major League Soccer: MLS is a U.S. professional sports league that has aggressively pursued streaming-first distribution (Apple TV+ global deal), sponsorship scale (Adidas, Apple), and youth/demographic repositioning — directly comparable to MLB's recent streaming and youth initiatives.
• Formula 1: F1 under Liberty Media is a global sports property that has leveraged media rights, streaming (F1 TV), and international expansion (U.S. Grand Prix growth) to drive a multi-fold valuation re-rating — a strategic analog for MLB's streaming and international growth potential.

Regional players

• Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB): NPB is Japan's top professional baseball league, a direct baseball-format peer to MLB and a key partner in MLB's international expansion strategy — comparable for understanding cross-Pacific player flows, broadcast economics, and fan monetization in Asian markets.
• Korean Baseball Organization (KBO): The KBO is South Korea's premier professional baseball league and an MLB international partner, useful as a comparable for evaluating Asia-Pacific broadcast, attendance, and digital fan monetization models adjacent to MLB's growth roadmap.
• English Premier League: The Premier League is a global soccer league that has optimized for international media rights, DTC streaming, and sponsorship scale — a strategic and structural analog to MLB for understanding how a U.S.-rooted league can scale globally via rights packaging.

Broad incumbents

• PGA Tour: The PGA Tour is a U.S. sports property with similar reliance on broadcast rights, corporate hospitality, and event-driven fan engagement, and it has recently navigated LIV-driven competitive disruption — relevant to MLB as a comparator on media-rights strategy and competitive resilience.
• World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE / TKO Group): WWE is a content-driven sports entertainment property that has pioneered direct-to-platform distribution (WWE Network, Netflix deal) and live-event monetization — a useful analog for MLB's evolution toward streaming-first content licensing and event IP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mlb
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MLB
• Facebookfacebook.com/mlb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/major-league-baseball
• Instagraminstagram.com/mlb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Major League Baseball