Revenue of Major League Baseball teams 2018

The New York Yankees are one of the most famous sports teams in the world. It is therefore unsurprising that the baseball team, based at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, generated revenue of 668 million U.S. dollars in 2018. Hot on the Yankees' tail is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who raked in revenue of 549 million U.S. dollars in the same year.

MLB revenue

Major League Baseball (MLB), with its 30 teams, generated around 9.9 billion U.S. dollars in total revenue in the 2018 season, almost twice the revenue generated ten years ago, when total revenue was at 5.82 billion U.S. dollars. On average, each team generated almost 330 million U.S. dollars in revenue in 2018. Another indicator of the MLB's and, by extension, each team's success, is the average revenue multiple which compares the value of a franchise to its revenue. In 2019, the average revenue multiple per MLB franchise was 5.19, more than twice the figure from 2011.

Revenue streams

Almost 30 percent of the MLB's total league-wide revenue was earned from gate receipts (ticket sales) in 2017. Television and media rights constitute another important stream of revenue. In November 2018, the league and Fox Sports announced an extension of their national television rights agreement. This deal was worth 5.1 billion U.S. dollars and extends the relationship through the 2028 season. The MLB also has further deals with Facebook, ESPN, and Turner Sports. Moreover, the league and its teams generated 938 million U.S. dollars in revenue from sponsorships in the 2018 season, marking a steady increase in revenue over the past decade.