Facebook has taken a huge new swing at sports: The social giant announced a deal with Major League Baseball to exclusively stream 25 games worldwide during the 2018 season. The deal marks the first time a major U.S. sports league has granted exclusive rights to Facebook. (Variety)
In the U.S., Facebook will be the only place you can watch those games. They’ll be viewable through the MLB Live Facebook portal, and will come with extras like highlight reels and team-specific recaps. The first game, airing on April 4, will be a match-up between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. (Mashable)
All of the games will take place on weekday afternoons, primarily Wednesdays. Neither MLB nor Facebook disclosed the financial terms, though people with knowledge of the matter put the price at $30 million to $35 million. They asked not to be identified because the terms are private. (Bloomberg)
Additionally, Twitter is kicking more sports to its social service, in a three-year deal with Major League Soccer that will include a slate of weekly programming including at least 24 live matches per season. (Variety)