A New York Court of Appeals has upheld a decision from an MLB committee that MASN owes the Washington Nationals more than $100 million in unpaid rights fees.
“While it is unfortunate that our decision may send this protracted litigation into extra innings, that result is necessitated by the settlement agreement’s terms,” Judge Madeline Singas wrote in the unanimous decision by the court, according to Front Office Sports.
MASN — the regional sports network owned by the Baltimore Orioles — has argued for more than a decade with the Nationals over the local television rights for the team. When the Nationals moved to the nation’s capital from Montreal, MLB gave the club’s local television rights to the Orioles, with the fee paid to the club negotiated every five years.
However, the Orioles have disputed how much that fee should have been during the 2012-2016 seasons. The MLB panel has ruled that the figure is $105 million, which the New York appellate court reiterated.
The situation had reportedly caused a stall in a potential sale of the Washington franchise. Owner Ted Lerner announced he would explore a sale of the team last year, before he passed away in February. Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis reportedly offered to purchase the team for $2 billion, and also offered to purchase MASN from the Orioles, but was rebuffed.
Leonsis — who completed a purchase of NBC Sports Washington last year — was hoping to add the Orioles’ television rights to his network with the aim of creating a “D.C. area super network”, the report continued.
