MLB MAY SCORE $1 BILLION IN DEAL WITH NETWORK

With its current deals with ESPN, Fox and Turner set to expire at the end of the season next year, Major League Baseball is being wooed by CBS and NBC, each of which is offering what today’s (Tuesday) New York Post described as “a mountain of cash” to take over exclusive rights to the telecasts. One person familiar with the bidding told the newspaper, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He added that MLB is “in the catbird seat because five media companies need summer sports programming.” The Post observed that the current pact with three media companies is worth about $711 million per year but that a new deal is expected to pass $1 billion.