ESPN to expand Major League Baseball coverage in Europe

An expansion of Major League Baseball coverage in Europe by pay TV network ESPN has been announced.

The digital TV broadcaster has signed a new eight-year agreement with the sport's governing body to air live games in a host of countries and areas of the world, including the US, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Israel, across Australasia and on cruise ships.

The sport's commissioner Allan Selig commented: "On behalf of Major League Baseball, I am thrilled that we will continue our longstanding relationship with ESPN far into the future."

He added that the level of commitment to baseball shown by ESPN is extremely encouraging and comes at a time when unprecedented popularity is being seen across the globe.

The multiplatform expansion of coverage will include TV rights, digital streaming and radio, with the broadcasts of live games set to reach more than 19 million homes across Europe alone in the coming years.

Meanwhile, ESPN has also announced its ESPN Player will be providing live streaming coverage of NCAA Football for fans of American Football throughout the upcoming season, which got underway this week.