In 2009, revenues were $6.6 billion, up from $6.5 billion in 2008. Key factors behind the predicted increase for 2010 include annual escalators in local television deals and the return of sponsorship money from the automotive and financial sectors.
"There's no question, this is the golden era for the sport and given the (weak) economy this may be the most remarkable year we ever had," said MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. "Every economic option in our business is up this year. We're at numbers nobody ever thought possible."
"Automotives are back in a big, big way, financials are back in a big way, insurance companies are back, so we're seeing double-digit growth in our advertising marketplace right now for baseball," added Turner Sports President David Levy..
Average per-game attendance slipped 0.6 per cent during the 2010 regular season compared to 2009, having declined 6.6 per cent year-on-year in 2009 following the recession.
