After acquiring a majority stake in tech company, BAMTech in 2017, which they have used to power their streaming services, the Walt Disney Co. has now announced the acquisition of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) stake in the company.
According to their financial report, Disney paid the MLB USD$900 million for its 15%, with the company now being rebranded to Disney Streaming.
It was only last year that the MLB acquired the National Hockey League’s 10% minority stake for US$350 million.
BAMTech’s origin dates back to 2000, where the MLB sought to create a digital hub to help develop online ticket sales, which created MLB Advanced Media, which led to baseball content landing on the internet with highlights and full games.
Additionally, the MLB used the platform to stream their first live game during the 2002 MLB season.
BAMTech also went on to power the NHL’s streaming services, who at the time were a minority shareholder.
In 2015, Disney’s initial investment saw them become a minority shareholder in the company, while working as a partner for both leagues, before buying out the NHL in 2021 and the MLB this year.
The news comes after the MLB expanded on their partnership with Google Cloud, a pairing that began in 2020.
