Facebook to Stream MLB Games
Facebook is partnering with Major League Baseball to air 25 weekday afternoon games in an exclusive deal.
The games will be available to Facebook users in the U.S. on Facebook Watch, the company's video feature, via the MLB Live show page. Facebook said Friday that recorded broadcasts will also be available globally, excluding select international markets.
The concept is similar to the exclusive package of Sunday night games on ESPN.
Facebook, Twitter and Amazon and other companies are in a race to acquire sports streaming rights, which can be potentially boost user loyalty.
Verizon signed a deal with the NBA to stream eight basketball games on Yahoo, and Amazon paid $50 million to stream NFL games to Prime members last season.
Seperately, Facebook has inked a licensing deal with Warner Music Group that will cover the company's recorded music and music publishing catalogs.
The deal, similar to one that Facebook has already struck with Universal Music Group and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, will cover the use of these songs in videos and messages posted to the platform. It's part of the social network's effort to avoid having to take down videos from users and social influencers for using music without a license.