NBC's baseball coverage begins its summer stretch this week as 'Sunday Night Baseball' takes over the network's primetime schedule. Starting Sunday night with an NL Central showdown between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, NBC will broadcast a game every week until Labor Day, with the sole exception of July 12 due to the All-Star break.
Summer Schedule and Key Matchups
In addition to the weekly Sunday games, NBC will also air a Labor Day game featuring the Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants. The network will then shift focus to college football on September 6, showcasing Wisconsin versus Notre Dame. This marks the first year of a three-year agreement for NBC to carry Sunday night games and Wild Card rounds, following ESPN's decision to opt out of its original rights deal with MLB.
Earlier this season, NBC aired two Sunday night games and an opening day doubleheader, with the remaining games streamed exclusively on Peacock. Justin Byczek, NBC Sports Executive Vice President of Programming and Rights Management, highlighted the momentum baseball has gained over the past two years and the network's available Sunday night slot as key factors in the partnership. With the NFL, NBA, and baseball, NBC now offers sports on Sunday nights all but one week of the year.
'Coming back, there was a ton of excitement around baseball returning to NBC, obviously a property we have legacy with. I think the excitement that the offseason had and the progress that baseball was making only fueled that even more. And the game is easier to watch,' Byczek said.
Viewership and Format Success
ESPN averaged 1.83 million viewers for Sunday night games last year, its highest since 2017. NBC has drawn at least 1.8 million for its two Sunday night games on linear television. The format of 'Sunday Night Baseball,' featuring play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti alongside analysts from both teams, has proven successful. Benetti noted at the start of the season that the goal was to have different conversations each week, a promise that has been fulfilled.
'The wide range of topics that we have covered is vast and so I think it's gone great. I think that starting the NBC stretch of it will be awesome for people who are inclined to watch on broadcast TV and the wide reach that provides,' Benetti said.
This week's analysts include former slugger Albert Pujols, a three-time NL MVP with the Cardinals, and Jim Deshaies, a former Cubs pitcher now serving as an analyst on their local broadcasts. Deshaies is a longtime friend of Benetti's.
Notable Upcoming Games
The Cubs-Cardinals game is just one of many intriguing matchups on NBC over the next few months. Highlights include Yankees-Red Sox on June 28, Padres-Dodgers on July 5, Dodgers-Yankees on July 19, and Giants-Red Sox on August 23. Sunday night's contest marks the first Cubs-Cardinals game on NBC since June 3, 1989, when it was part of the Saturday afternoon 'Game of the Week' window.
'There's something of an enormity around 'Sunday Night Baseball,'' Benetti said. 'I think there's real juice in these stadiums, and Major League Baseball has done a great job of building to that.'
