Yankees-Netflix exclusivity on Opening Day 2026 signals shift in MLB rights

Netflix will carry the New York Yankees’ Opening Day game against the San Francisco Giants as an exclusive primetime telecast in San Francisco on March 25, 2026, to start the season.

The Athletic reported Thursday that Netflix has secured exclusive rights to the Yankees-Giants showdown and that the deal is part of a broader three-year MLB agreement with Netflix beginning in 2026. The pact will include the Home Run Derby and select regular-season games.

MLB's broader rights strategy already features a mix of streaming platforms. This season, the Yankees have appeared on multiple outlets beyond the YES Network, Fox, ESPN and TBS. Amazon Prime Video streamed 21 Yankees games this season; Apple has carried an exclusive Friday slate and a Sunday game was streamed on Roku. MLB's new rights deal with NBC is expected to include at least one Peacock-exclusive game next season.

Under the Netflix deal, Netflix will also receive rights to the Home Run Derby and certain other marquee events for three years beginning in 2026. The Derby has long been broadcast on ESPN, and Netflix will broaden its portfolio with additional special-event programming.

The arrangement reflects MLB's ongoing effort to monetize games across a wider ecosystem of platforms, a move that has drawn attention to how fans access every game. As teams juggle multiple rights holders, viewers may need multiple subscriptions to watch a full Yankees schedule, underscoring the evolving economics of baseball media.