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ESPN To Pay Record Amount For MLB Games

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And today's last word in business is a home run for Major League Baseball.

ESPN agreed yesterday to pay the baseball association $5.6 billion over the next eight years for broadcast and digital rights to games. That is a record, we're told, for baseball broadcasting rights. It is also about double what ESPN currently pays to broadcast Major League Baseball games, although the sports network will be getting a lot more for its money this time around - more international rights, radio rights, rights to more games.

It's said that football is supplanting baseball as America's pastime, but baseball still being very, very good to itself.

And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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