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AP source: Owners plan vote next week on new Manfred term

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CARLSBAD, Calif. — Baseball owners plan to vote on a new term for Commissioner Rob Manfred, a new television contract with Fox and an agreement for in-game cut-ins with the subscription video streaming service DAZN when they meet next week in Atlanta, a person familiar with the agenda told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because Major League Baseball had not made public the agenda for the meetings, scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15.

Manfred was elected commissioner in August 2014 to succeed Bud Selig and started a five-year term the following Jan. 25. The person said Manfred's new term likely will be for five years.

Fox and Turner Broadcasting are in the midst of eight-year agreements through 2021 in which Fox has exclusive rights to the World Series and All-Star Game, splits the League Championship Series with Turner and shares the Division Series with Turner and the MLB Network.

DAZN (pronounced Da-Zone), which launched this year, has been negotiating a $300 million, three-year deal with MLB, the person said. Former ESPN president John Skipper is the chairman of DAZN's parent company.

DAZN announced an 11-fight deal last month with boxer Canelo Alvarez. DAZN, a live and on-demand service, said it is backed by Access Industries, a company founded by Leonard Blavatnik.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press


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