Part 5/9:
However, the mood was starkly different in internal communications within MLB. In a letter to team owners, Commissioner Rob Manfred criticized ESPN for its declining reach and minimal coverage. He noted that ESPN's household distribution has plummeted from over 100 million in 2011 to only 53.6 million today. This raised alarms regarding the viability of continuing their partnership on diminished terms, as the commissioner recognized that it was not beneficial for MLB to settle for a reduced deal with a dwindling platform.