US cable-television broadcaster Turner Broadcasting System acquired rights to the new wild card games created by Major League Baseball’s revamp of its post-season.
TBS will exclusively televise the American League and National League Wild Card games in 2012 and 2013. The new post-season format will feature the two wild card teams in each of the American League and National League playing in single-elimination games with each winner advancing to compete with the three divisional champions from its league in the Division Series.
MLB also announced that two Division Series games in each of the 2012 and 2013 post seasons will shift from TBS to the league’s official cable channel MLB Network. It is the first time the channel will air post-season games.
David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for TBS, said: “We believe the additional single-elimination Wild Card spots will build upon the popularity of the sport and will serve as a great launching pad for our Division Series and ALCS (American League Championship Series) coverage on TBS.”
TBS has televised all MLB Division Series games and one League Championship Series each year since 2007. In 2012, the network will televise 18 of 20 potential Division Series games and will have exclusive coverage of the ALCS. In addition to the MLB post-season, TBS televises a 26-game ‘Sunday MLB on TBS’ regular season schedule and is the exclusive home of the 2012 MLB All-Star Selection Show. TBS will also continue to televise any necessary regular season tie-breaker games.
MLB confirmed in March that it would expand its post-season format by two teams to 10 in 2012, the first major change to the league’s playoff system since 1995. MLB and the league’s players association agreed to the changes to the new post-season format as a part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement.