WP: Nats MASN deal renegotations will have a huge impact

[PowerBoater69]

Can you own two teams?

I would hope that the Lerners would have first rights to purchase the Nats TV rights, not the Os.

[Nick the Pig]

If Peter Angelos ever dies, his sons would have no influence with MLB whatsoever...

[hotshot]

Doesn't look like O's will be sold and seems that the sons will inherit ownership. Doesn't appear to be a Jack Kent Cooke situation. No reason to think that the sons will be any more "reasonable" than their father.

[HalfSmokes]

Doesn't look like O's will be sold and seems that the sons will inherit ownership. Doesn't appear to be a Jack Kent Cooke situation. No reason to think that the sons will be any more "reasonable" than their father.

Mlb still has to approve the new owners

[Nick the Pig]

Doesn't look like O's will be sold and seems that the sons will inherit ownership. Doesn't appear to be a Jack Kent Cooke situation. No reason to think that the sons will be any more "reasonable" than their father.

The sons have accomplished exactly nothing in their lives...

MLB will eat their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti when the old evil dude dies.

[Elvir Ovcina]

The sons have accomplished exactly nothing in their lives...

MLB will eat their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti when the old evil dude dies.

And they'll accede to slots 1 and 2 on the 2024 Republican ticket with rich and empty pedigrees like that.

[Nick the Pig]

And they'll accede to slots 1 and 2 on the 2024 Republican ticket with rich and empty pedigrees like that.

Peter Angelos switched from Rep to Dem when it suited his purposes...

His sons are NOTHING are far as MLB is concerned.  When the old man dies, MASN dies...

[KnorrForYourMoney]

Yeah, I'm sure an old boys club like MLB owners will suddenly shun one of their own.

[MarquisDeSade]

MLB will eat their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti when the old evil dude dies.

MLB is going to commit suicide?

[OldChelsea]

I hope it dies in a quick and painful way.    I only watch the damned channel because it's where the Nats are televised.[...]

My home telly has never been tuned to MASN. In fact I couldn't even tell you what channel it's on - never needed that information.

If I've got Charlie and Dave on the radio (on matchdays when I'm not at the ballpark), I've got Nats baseball.

[mitlen]

Later this week, after the owners' meetings wrap up in Atlanta, a Major League Baseball-appointed Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee (RSDC) will hear the Nationals' and Orioles' cases again. That three-person panel will decide how much the Nationals are due in old revenue (2012-2016) and present revenue (2017-2021), at which time the Orioles will be required to pay that sum to the Nationals. The panel could provide a neat and tidy ending to one of the more mind-numbing, aggravating disputes between teams in baseball history. Then again, it was supposed to do that in 2014, too.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/13/nationals-orioles-masn-dispute-could-finally-end-this-week/?utm_term=.8aeb465e879b

[nfotiu]

Looking at it without any emotions and in retrospect, that 59 million number looked about right for 2012-2016.   I am guessing whatever number they come up with is within 3 or 4 million of that number, and would put them about where you'd expect them in this chart from 2016

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/estimated-tv-revenues-for-all-30-mlb-teams/

[mitlen]

Looking at it without any emotions and in retrospect, that 59 million number looked about right for 2012-2016.   I am guessing whatever number they come up with is within 3 or 4 million of that number, and would put them about where you'd expect them in this chart from 2016

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/estimated-tv-revenues-for-all-30-mlb-teams/

Wonder if it's all Harper money?

[Terps and Nats]

I’m Wondering how all the cord cutters are affecting this.  I’d love for MLB to have some sort of streaming package that allows one to watch the home team legally online.  I’m not convinced the regional sports network model can be sustained long term, especially as they try to reach out to younger viewers.

[Mattionals]

I’m Wondering how all the cord cutters are affecting this.  I’d love for MLB to have some sort of streaming package that allows one to watch the home team legally online.  I’m not convinced the regional sports network model can be sustained long term, especially as they try to reach out to younger viewers.

This would be non-trivial to do. So the NFL has what, at most 15 games going on simultaneously on one day and once a week, and that is spread between 3 networks? If the MLB were to try and adopt something close to that, they would have to have enough commentators to cover up to 15 games a day from April to October. That is a lot of air time, lots of setups (unless you centralize stuff like on the MLB Network set and just have an on-site commentator) and I'm not sure there is enough money there to do it. I'd love it though.

[HalfSmokes]

This would be non-trivial to do. So the NFL has what, at most 15 games going on simultaneously on one day and once a week, and that is spread between 3 networks? If the MLB were to try and adopt something close to that, they would have to have enough commentators to cover up to 15 games a day from April to October. That is a lot of air time, lots of setups (unless you centralize stuff like on the MLB Network set and just have an on-site commentator) and I'm not sure there is enough money there to do it. I'd love it though.

There are only a handful of teams without legal streaming - The nats are, of course, one of them

[Terps and Nats]

Makes sense mattionals.  I would like to at least have an option to subscribe to such a package, cutting out the Comcast middle lan

[Mattionals]

There are only a handful of teams without legal streaming - The nats are, of course, one of them

Really? I don't follow any other team so I wouldn't know, and I also am out of MASN's coverage area (YAY!) so most times I can get home game broadcasts no problem. It only becomes an issue when the Nats play the Philthies or the Mess, and that is when I VPN to the UK to get the home feed.

[HalfSmokes]

Really? I don't follow any other team so I wouldn't know, and I also am out of MASN's coverage area (YAY!) so most times I can get home game broadcasts no problem. It only becomes an issue when the Nats play the Philthies or the Mess, and that is when I VPN to the UK to get the home feed.

It’s masn plus the dodgers- every other team offers in market streaming

[nfotiu]

It’s masn plus the dodgers- every other team offers in market streaming

In market streaming is a little complicated though.  Most (all?) require you to subscribe through your cable/sat company to stream.  So not really that useful to cord cutters outside of borrowing someone who subscribes login.   

Most markets are able to get their games through DTV Now/Sling/YouTube TV/Vue etc.   That is probably the best near term solution for cord cutters wanting to stay above board.  But again, MASN is one of only a couple that are not on those services either.

MLB holds local in market rights to all streaming, and the teams that do offer in market streaming do it via waiver from MLB.  My guess is the MLB has a plan to exercise those rights when the RSN golden goose stops laying golden eggs and it could be a great equalizer.   

[Natsinpwc]

In market streaming is a little complicated though.  Most (all?) require you to subscribe through your cable/sat company to stream.  So not really that useful to cord cutters outside of borrowing someone who subscribes login.   

Most markets are able to get their games through DTV Now/Sling/YouTube TV/Vue etc.   That is probably the best near term solution for cord cutters wanting to stay above board.  But again, MASN is one of only a couple that are not on those services either.

MLB holds local in market rights to all streaming, and the teams that do offer in market streaming do it via waiver from MLB.  My guess is the MLB has a plan to exercise those rights when the RSN golden goose stops laying golden eggs and it could be a great equalizer.

I suspect there are many people sharing cable logins to get these and other streams.

[Smithian]

Just lock this thread. It'll never happen.

[GburgNatsFan]

Too bad they won't just sell it outright. I'd pay $250 a year for this (and then cut the cord - it's the only thing I'm desperate for.)

In market streaming is a little complicated though.  Most (all?) require you to subscribe through your cable/sat company to stream.  So not really that useful to cord cutters outside of borrowing someone who subscribes login.   

Most markets are able to get their games through DTV Now/Sling/YouTube TV/Vue etc.   That is probably the best near term solution for cord cutters wanting to stay above board.  But again, MASN is one of only a couple that are not on those services either.

MLB holds local in market rights to all streaming, and the teams that do offer in market streaming do it via waiver from MLB.  My guess is the MLB has a plan to exercise those rights when the RSN golden goose stops laying golden eggs and it could be a great equalizer.

[nfotiu]

Too bad they won't just sell it outright. I'd pay $250 a year for this (and then cut the cord - it's the only thing I'm desperate for.)

Practically speaking, I pay $85/year for the single team option on MLB.tv, and have a router that is setup for unlocator.tv (5/month) that I hook my apple tv/roku/etc to and it works flawlessly.

thousands of people paying $250/season will not come close to millions of people paying $5/month for MASN, so that is why they don't offer that option in market yet.   

[nfotiu]

It looks like MLB has become the most likely buyer of the Fox Sports Nets that Disney is forced to put up for sale, and no one wants to buy.  And Amazon is looking likely to buy YES.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/mlb-bid-for-fox-regional-sports-networks-imminent

This could be a very dramatic shift in the MLB television and probably streaming space if MLB owns local tv rights for half the franchises.   I'd guess they'd basically be holding onto them as an income producing asset as they dwindle away into irrelevance.   It would be interesting to see how that would play out.   Would that make less resistance to try to offer and monetize national in market streaming?  Would they try to buy out other networks like MASN to get them all under one umbrella?   Maybe even do away with the obsolete territories and blackouts eventually?