Major League Baseball is off to a historically strong start at the gates, giving initial support to preseason expectations of a third straight attendance increase in 2025.

The league ended April with an average per-game attendance of 27,261, MLB’s best mark at the end of that month since 2017. Heading into the season, MLB executives had high hopes for another increase, which would create the first three-year streak of gains since 2005–2007. The early 2025 results, however, give a further dose of encouragement as several teams in the Northeast and Midwest were either flat or down in attendance by mid-April, but have since seen much stronger crowds as game temperatures have warmed considerably. 

Running about 1.3% ahead of last year’s attendance pace, MLB will look to build on that as higher-attended summer games approach. 

As was the case in both 2024 and 2023, MLB’s attendance momentum stems from several factors, including strong reception for the pitch clock and more action-filled style of play introduced two years ago, the broad appeal of major stars such as the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Yankees’ Aaron Judge, and a historic influx of young stars such as the Pirates’ Paul Skenes and Reds’ Elly De La Cruz.

Team Issues

Not surprisingly, the Dodgers again lead the league in attendance with an average of more than 51,364 per game, as they are the defending World Series champions, play in the league’s largest stadium, and have been the league attendance leader for more than a decade. 

The biggest story at the gate this year, however, may be at Citi Field as the Mets are up by more than 56% to 36,198 per game, by far MLB’s largest increase. The Mets’ total has been boosted heavily by the arrival of Juan Soto in a record-setting free-agent contract worth $765 million, as well as a hot start on the field that has led to the league’s second-best record behind the Dodgers.

Even some struggling teams, however, such as the Rockies, are pacing ahead of 2024 in attendance. MLB is also posting its numbers with both the A’s and Rays playing in minor-league parks this season. The A’s are up sharply in attendance at Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park after the meager final-season showing in Oakland, while the Rays are having a variety of issues at Tampa’s George M. Steinbrenner Field. 

The league will get another big boost in attendance in August with the MLB Speedway Classic, a special-event game at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee that will generate the largest single-game crowd of the year. 

Meadowlark Media co-founder John Skipper is leaving the company, sources told Front Office Sports.

Skipper, the former ESPN president, co-founded the company with host Dan Le Batard in early 2021. The company signed a reported three-year contract worth $51 million with DraftKings as the presenting sponsor, and later extended the deal.  Le Batard has stated publicly on his show that their contract with the sportsbook is coming up.

It was not immediately clear what the new leadership structure will be for Meadowlark’s business. 

One source said that Meadowlark will be aiming to focus more on its podcasts, including The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Pablo Torre Finds Out. There will be less of an emphasis on documentary content, although it will not totally go away, the source said. 

In between ESPN and Meadowlark, Skipper was executive chairman at DAZN. Skipper could not immediately be reached for comment.

Even with rising scrutiny over its proposed merger with ESPN parent Walt Disney Co., Fubo is full steam ahead. 

The streaming company said Friday that there has been no change in its plans to combine its operations with Hulu + Live TV and have Disney take a controlling interest. That pact, which included a $220 million payment by Disney to FuboTV and a $145 million loan scheduled for next year, helped resolve legal claims stemming from the introduction of the now-shuttered Venu Sports, the joint streaming service previously contemplated by ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The combination, however, has since generated plenty of lawmaker scrutiny and was recently referred to the U.S. Department of Justice for investigation on potential antitrust issues.

Fubo remains confident in its ability to work through the regulatory reviews, and not only completing the Disney deal, but offering a new, sports-oriented streaming bundle stemming from that collaboration with Disney.

“We remain excited about our agreement with the Walt Disney Co. to combine Fubo with Hulu + Live TV and the potential to increase competition and consumer choice in the pay-TV space,” Fubo co-founder and CEO David Gandler said Friday in an earnings call. “We continue to work through the regulatory process and look forward to sharing more information when we are able. The streaming landscape continues to evolve and grow more fragmented, further demonstrating the importance and relevance of Fubo’s aggregation model.”

Fubo is targeting the release of its sports bundle, including content from non-Disney networks, for the fall.

“We are working hard to secure content from non-Disney programmers for the new service,” Gandler said. “It is critical for Fubo subscribers that we are able to negotiate content licensing agreements at fair rates and terms. Our goal remains to launch this service for the fall sports season.”

Broader Results

There may be an underlying reason for Fubo’s clear focus on closing the Disney deal, however, as its latest earnings report showed mixed results, with more near-term turbulence approaching.

The company reported $407.9 million in North American revenue during 2025’s first quarter, up 3.5% from the comparable period last year, while paid subscribers declined 2.7% to 1.47 million. 

Those results, representing the vast majority of its total business, met or exceeded prior guidance. Net income swung from a prior loss of $56.3 million to a gain of $188.5 million.

The future outlook, conversely, is worse as the second quarter is expected to yield a 10% decline in North American revenue to a range of $340 million to $350 million. Paid subscribers on the continent are expected to be at 1.23 million to 1.26 million, down 14%. Among Fubo’s more recent challenges has been the loss of a distribution agreement with TelevisaUnivision, cutting into its appeal with Spanish-language consumers.  

“Our goal has always been profitability, [and] profitability over growth,” Gandler said.

Investors dropped Fubo stock by 17% in Friday trading, with shares plummeting to $2.42 each, the lowest mark since the Disney deal was announced in early January. Disney, meanwhile, will make its next quarterly earnings report on May 7.