The collapse of the regional sports network model continues to put leagues in a precarious position. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred believes the league could find a way out of the situation by itself.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein, Manfred revealed the league knows the parameters and limits it could be forced to work under.
“We will be in a position that we can handle up to 16 teams next year,” Manfred said.
The commissioner then pointed to the first rights deal the league had to reclaim as reason for optimism for its broadcasting abilities.
“I give you the San Diego example,” Rob Manfred said. “We had virtually no notice—I mean, literally hours worth of notice. We picked them up in the middle of a season, and, frankly, picked them up when things weren’t going like a lot of people, particularly in San Diego, had hoped. And we sold 18,000 subscriptions in San Diego. And our ratings on the cable side essentially stayed the same; they were a little better.
“So what does that tell me? We have an unserved audience out there that is an economic opportunity for us to reach fans that we’re not reaching,” continued Manfred. “So it’s an important part of our future. It doesn’t have today the same robust economics that the cable bundle provided as an exclusive source of distribution, but my own view of the world is we’re gonna have—the distribution may be smaller going forward, and we’re gonna put with it that digital option that gives people more flexibility, more reach and [is] better for fans overall.”
Manfred noted that the league currently plans to produce broadcasts for both the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024, as it did for roughly half of the 2023 MLB season.
