The Seattle Mariners have taken full ownership of their regional sports network.
The Seattle Times on Friday reported that the ballclub, which originally owned 71% of ROOT Sports Northwest, took over the remaining 29% stake from Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD provided operational support in production of Mariners games.
The Mariners could either take on the operational and production costs themselves and broadcast games in-house, or they could partner with MLB, which would utilize its newly formed broadcasting division.
“Our top priority is to ensure all Mariners fans have access to watch Mariners games from their home each night,” Mariners chairperson and managing partner told the Seattle Times.
In addition to controlling their own broadcast rights, the Mariners in taking over ROOT Sports now have the rights to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. The Kraken, in their third NHL season, are still under their maiden TV rights deal.
The Times reported its worth at between $15 million and $30 million a year. Like the Mariners, Warner Bros. Discovery has been providing operational support for broadcasts.
The Blazers still have one more season on their deal with ROOT. The team has its own in-house operations for carrying games.
