Netflix will broadcast the MLB Home Run Derby, and the format will abandon the timed system, returning to the traditional number-of-swings format.

Major League Baseball (MLB) has formally declared that the 2026 Home Run Derby will resume using a “swings-per-round” format, which represents the first abandonment of the timed system since 2014, returning the All-Star Week staple to its original configuration.

As reported by Yahoo Sports US today, the Home Run Derby adopted a timed format in 2015, where players had to hit as many home runs as possible within a fixed time. Now, after 11 editions of the event, the league has decided to remove the clock, meaning rounds will no longer be bound by a time limit.

This year’s Home Run Derby will be held at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and will be broadcast by Netflix. This also marks the start of a new media partnership for this classic event, which had long been aired by ESPN.

The league believes that reverting to the traditional format will allow fans to better focus on the hitters’ power displays without having to simultaneously watch a countdown timer and tally home runs. Additionally, batters will no longer need to swing quickly just to beat the clock, enabling them to take each at-bat at their own pace.

This change also helps players conserve energy, preventing them from burning out in the early rounds by over-pursuing swing counts, thus improving the competitive quality of later rounds.

Quick overview of Home Run Derby rules

• Removal of the timer and the “out” concept
• First round: 20 swings
• Second round: 15 swings
• Final round: 15 swings
• Every swing counts toward the quota, regardless of whether it results in a home run
• If the final swing of any round produces a home run, the batter may continue swinging until they fail to hit a home run
• No bonus round and no “bracket” matchups in the first round
• Tiebreaker method: In the first round, ties are broken by the longest home run distance; in the second round and final, ties are decided by a three-swing playoff.