YouTube TV will still miss one major sports perk despite Disney deal

After weeks of negotiations between YouTube and Disney, YouTube TV subscribers finally learned they’ll get ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost. Unfortunately, there’s a catch. It looks like one of the most valuable sports packages still won’t be part of the deal. According to a new report from Puck’s John Ourand, MLB.TV will not be part of the ESPN Unlimited experience on YouTube TV, even after it moves under ESPN’s umbrella next year.

Ourand reports that MLB’s out-of-market streaming service has finalized a new acquisition deal with ESPN and will be headed to its app starting with the 2026 season. The deal hasn’t been publicly announced yet, but it’s reportedly part of MLB’s broader three-year media shake-up with ESPN, NBC, and Netflix.

Ourand reports that even though ESPN Unlimited content will now appear directly inside YouTube TV, MLB.TV will not. Instead, MLB.TV may be available exclusively within the ESPN app and will most likely require a separate subscription.

This could be a big letdown for YouTube TV subscribers who’re on the service for baseball content. ESPN Unlimited was marketed as a major perk of the renewed Disney-YouTube TV agreement, bringing a range of live and on-demand ESPN content into the platform. Yet MLB.TV, one of the most sought-after sports add-ons, will remain unavailable on the service.

The move is apparently tied to MLB’s larger rights overhaul. ESPN opted out of its long-running Sunday Night Baseball package earlier this year. NBC is expected to take over Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card round, while Netflix will air the Home Run Derby and Opening Night. ESPN, meanwhile, gets a new weeknight game, the ability to house MLB.TV inside its app, and local games for the five teams whose broadcasts MLB controls.