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CP20175484 — New York Yankees\' Ichiro Suzuki, of Japan, watches his double during the eighth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012, at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 4-2. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Person familiar with negotiations: MLB nears 8-year deals with Fox and Turner covering 2014-21

Sep 19, 2012 15:09:00

NEW YORK, N.Y. – A person familiar with the negotiations says Major League Baseball is nearing agreements with Fox and Turner Sports on eight-year contracts through 2021.

Under the deals, which are likely to be announced before the post-season, Fox will retain rights to the World Series and to a league championship series every year, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The amount baseball receives from the two networks is likely to double to an average of about $800 million annually.

ESPN and MLB last month announced a new deal covering 2014-21 that will increase ESPN’s average yearly payment from about $360 million to approximately $700 million.

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