As part of a renewal agreement, ESS will maintain cable and satellite television rights in 29 countries and territories across Asia (with exclusivity in all, except for China) through until the 2009 MLB championship season.
ESS will broadcast up to three MLB regular season games per week, the All-Star Game (with additional rights to the Home Run Derby and the XM All-Star Futures Game), select American and National League Division Series games, both League Championship Series and the World Series to television audiences across Asia.
Additionally, ESS has expanded its inventory in Taiwan specifically to include the right to air up to seven regular season games per week (an increase of four games), any and all games featuring a Taiwanese player, and the entire MLB postseason (Division and League Championship Series games were formally limited). ESS has been a MLB broadcast partner for the past decade.
The MLB also agreed a new deal with Taiwanese broadcaster FTV which gives the popular Taiwanese network exclusive over-the-air television rights in Taiwan for the first time ever. From 2007-2009, FTV will broadcast more than 60 MLB regular season games per year, including one game every Saturday morning. FTV will also hold premier content rights as the over-the-air home of the MLB All-Star Game and the entire MLB postseason.
"These agreements highlight the growing excitement and enthusiasm for Major League Baseball in Asia, specifically in Taiwan," said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, International Business Operations, Major League Baseball. "Partners like ESS and FTV give us an ideal platform to satisfy the increasing demand for Major League game broadcasts in Asia by showcasing all 30 Clubs and bringing international baseball stars, like Hong-Chih Kuo and Chien-Ming Wang, unprecedented visibility in their home markets."
