Nats and Orioles MASN deal dissolved. Nats fully own TV rights after 2025 season

[JCA-CrystalCity]

It will be a battle for sure, and probably a huge part of the CBA negotiations.   I'm not sure the Red Sox and Yankees are really in that great of a spot if they maintain the status quo.  The hundreds of millions they were getting in carriage fee money is drying up fast and will get worse when ESPN and others go standalone this year.   

What's the best case scenario for those teams if they have to rely on a $100/year DTC product?   200-300,000 subscribers each?   That's only 20-30 million/year and no exposure to casual fans.

The current model is pretty ugly for everyone but the Dodgers.

fwiw, NESN is cratering in terms of subscribers. It's just they started from an incredibly high perch. They may not be much of a hold out on the MLB package.

[welch]

The Yankees still have to pay half of their local money into the revenue sharing pot though, so there is some leverage there to get them on-board.  Also, if they sign their own streaming deal, they won't be able to hide that money in a team owned RSN any more.

I suspect that YES and SNY are still valuable enough to be carried on the cable services around NYC, which means a lot of people. We cut that cable, so I quit wondering whether the Yankees and Muts would be carried at no extra charge.

Any idea if those two are losing money for Comcast and Spectrum.

[IanRubbish]

NBC Sports Bay Area, which carries the SF Giants, is going on Peacock for cord cutters, so you can get it even if you don't have YTTV or regular cable.  Will be interesting to see what the Nats do once they're free from MASN.

[nfotiu]

NBC Sports Bay Area, which carries the SF Giants, is going on Peacock for cord cutters, so you can get it even if you don't have YTTV or regular cable.  Will be interesting to see what the Nats do once they're free from MASN.

Outside of the MASN teams, the Astros and Mariners are the only teams left without a standalone option.  Plans were in the works to offer a standalone app this year, but who knows now.   It would be rather shocking if there isn't some kind of standalone offering in 2026.

[nobleisthyname]

Outside of the MASN teams, the Astros and Mariners are the only teams left without a standalone option.  Plans were in the works to offer a standalone app this year, but who knows now.   It would be rather shocking if there isn't some kind of standalone offering in 2026.

 

[IanRubbish]

We can now get Giants.TV in the Bay Area to stream in market games.  It's an add on you can buy when you purchase mlb.tv.  Something like that would make a lot of sense for the Nats next year.

[IanRubbish]

Padres have a get-around-the-blackout Padres.TV like the Giants.TV service.  Wouldn't surprise me if there was Nats.TV streaming service next year in the DC area.

[machpost]

Padres have a get-around-the-blackout Padres.TV like the Giants.TV service.  Wouldn't surprise me if there was Nats.TV streaming service next year in the DC area.

Seems more and more likely, now that Leonsis seemingly doesn't want to have anything to do with the TV rights if he doesn't own the team.

[Natsinpwc]

Seems more and more likely, now that Leonsis seemingly doesn't want to have anything to do with the TV rights if he doesn't own the team.

Why do you say he's not interested in the TV rights?

[machpost]

Why do you say he's not interested in the TV rights?

"Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder & CEO Ted Leonsis indicated that the only way it would 'make sense' for Monumental Sports Network to land the Nationals' local TV rights is “if he's the owner” of the franchise, according to Drew Hansen of the WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL." Source: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/04/04/leonsis-open-to-putting-nats-on-monumental-rsn-if-he-owns-team/#:~:text=Monumental%20Sports%20%26%20Entertainment%20founder%20%26%20CEO,of%20the%20WASHINGTON%20BUSINESS%20JOURNAL.

[nfotiu]

I don't see how it makes sense to fold MASN right now.   It's inevitable that there will be some kind of in-market national streaming by 2029 at the latest, even it there are a couple hold outs.   I don't know why the don't do some kind of amicable split of the current carriage fee agreements and ride out MASN until then with a $20/month DTC option.   They are still bringing in over 100 million/year, even if it is declining.   They Nats aren't going to get any near that from anyone else unless Leonsis way overpays, which it sounds like he won't.

I suspect they may realize that and end up back at MASN for a couple years.   Nothing else makes much sense.

[Natsinpwc]

"Monumental Sports & Entertainment founder & CEO Ted Leonsis indicated that the only way it would 'make sense' for Monumental Sports Network to land the Nationals' local TV rights is “if he's the owner” of the franchise, according to Drew Hansen of the WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL." Source: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/04/04/leonsis-open-to-putting-nats-on-monumental-rsn-if-he-owns-team/#:~:text=Monumental%20Sports%20%26%20Entertainment%20founder%20%26%20CEO,of%20the%20WASHINGTON%20BUSINESS%20JOURNAL.

Thanks. Could be a negotiating tactic of course.

[nfotiu]

Thanks. Could be a negotiating tactic of course.

This part is true and is the problem.

However, Leonsis “poured some water on that thought” earlier this week. He said, “How am I going to write them a big check? It’s not like the distributors are saying, ‘We’ll write you a bigger check.’

He'd be lucky to get 20-30 million in distribution fees launching a new network or adding to his current one, and that number will immediately start declining annually.

Nats TV rights on a legacy cable RSN model are probably not even worth paying 10-15 million/year right now.   Adding in the chance to add to the digital platform isn't really worth much either.

[Natsinpwc]

Monumental is a brand.  Adding the Nats to the Caps and Wizards would help that brand in the long run I believe.  But acknowledge there would be no gold rush.

[HalfSmokes]

How long until leagues try to bring local broadcasts in house? Part of the problem for fans is either you can watch the league, but not local teams or local teams, not the league. That seems like a horrible way to market yourself

[blue911]

Local over-the-air broadcasts, the wave of the future!

[varoadking]

Local over-the-air broadcasts, the wave of the future!

The ghost of Jack Brickhouse approves of this...

[HalfSmokes]

We’ve come full circle enough that the networks would probably be happy to get the games

[English Natsie]

Whether they acknowledge it, or not, every sport wants to follow the EPL media rights model, as they can see how it turned the EPL into a media rights leviathan.

[imref]

Looks like they will stay together:
https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/masn-orioles-negotiating-nationals-network.html

[welch]

Looks like they will stay together:
https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/masn-orioles-negotiating-nationals-network.html

Or, at least, Baltimore Orioles are willing to pay to the Nats.

[Natsinpwc]

Looks like they will stay together:
https://awfulannouncing.com/mlb/masn-orioles-negotiating-nationals-network.html

Not necessarily.  They can still also be negotiating with Monumental.

[PowerBoater69]

Not necessarily.  They can still also be negotiating with Monumental.

Anything can happen, but Leonsis said that he is only interested in having the Nats on Monumental if he owns the team. He said that the cable providers won't pay him any additional fees if he adds baseball, so there is no money to pay for baseball.

If the Nats stay with MASN I have demands:
1) Bring back the live post-game show from Nats Park.
2) Add a weekly show modeled on the old Baseball Bunch shows, with the mascots and guest players coaching local little leaguers.
3) Broadcast one game a week on local over the air channels.
4) Fix the app, add basic DVR functions (pause and rewind), cut down on the lag time, and automatically show the game when opening the app when the team of my choice is playing.

[HalfSmokes]

For number 3, what station would want it?

[HondoKillebrew]

For number 3, what station would want it?

Channel 20. Pregame by Captain 20. Postgame by Count Gore deVol.