Pictures: MLB / Netflix
Just a few weeks after stepping up to the plate with a brand new, experimental sports feature, Netflix has quietly pulled the plug on its daily MLB highlights hub.
If you logged into Netflix recently hoping to catch up on yesterday’s home runs and diving catches, you aren’t alone in wondering where the feature disappeared to.
As we reported earlier this month, Netflix had silently launched a brand-new hub dedicated to Major League Baseball. Over the course of its incredibly short lifespan, the hub rapidly expanded, amassing an impressive library of over 300 episodes and clips.
Interestingly, Netflix was clearly tinkering with the presentation right up until the end. Throughout the short test run, they actually changed the title of the hub from its original, straightforward name—”MLB Daily Highlights and Top Plays”—to the slightly more stylized “Diamond Daily Highlights and Top Plays.”
But as quickly as it arrived, it vanished. Around June 22nd and 23rd, the entire hub was wiped from the platform, leaving fans swinging at air.
Netflix did not officially comment on the abrupt removal of the hub, but our understanding of the situation behind the scenes paints a familiar picture for anyone who follows the streamer’s testing phases in that it was designed to see how audiences would respond to it and then go from there once the results were in. It’s unclear at this time whether it’ll return.
Because this was labeled as a test, there is always a chance that the Diamond Daily Highlights hub will return in a more permanent, widely rolled-out fashion. Netflix is heavily pivoting into live sports and sports-adjacent shoulder programming (like their upcoming NFL games and WWE Raw transition), so a daily highlights reel fits perfectly into their broader strategy.
Until then, baseball fans will have to head back to YouTube or MLB Network to get their daily fix of the diamond.
“I want it back!!!!”: Subscribers React to the Sudden Removal
Usually, when Netflix runs a UI test or a limited content rollout, the reaction is a mixed bag. But in the case of Diamond Daily Highlights, the sentiment in the comments section of our original story was overwhelmingly positive—which makes its sudden disappearance incredibly frustrating for the baseball fans who had folded the hub into their daily routines.
Many users noted that the hub was an absolute game-changer for following out-of-market teams or simply catching up on a slate of 15 games without dedicating hours to the television.
“I had it and loved it! Wondering why it suddenly disappeared,” wrote one of our readers. “Preferred this over Quick Pitch on MLB Network.”
Another user, Baseball Fan SFCR, echoed the sentiment of many who found immense value in the condensed format: “I had this AMAZING MLB access on Netflix until today 6/22. I was and still am disappointed and frustrated that I can’t watch 5 or 6 games in 1 hr. This would be a great thing for Netflix to offer and I wouldn’t mind paying a few bucks more per month to always have access. Please bring it back ASAP!!”
For out-of-market fans, the hub was a godsend. Reader NY Lee Lee 16 wrote:
“It was FAN-tastic!!!…. that is until yesterday when I sat down with my dinner wanting to watch the highlights. I live in Cleveland. I am a New York Yankee fan… this was the only place I could see everything and it was suddenly gone.”
Others expressed the universal frustration of recommending a cool new Netflix feature to friends and family, only for it to disappear the next day.
From “Baseball gal” begging “I want it back!!!! Best thing ever when I miss the games 🤗” to disappointed Mets and Twins fans missing their longer-form recaps, the verdict is clear: Netflix hit a home run with the concept, but ultimately decided to take their ball and go home.
Were you one of the lucky few to get access to the Diamond Daily Highlights test? Do you want to see it return? Let us know in the comments down below.
