Fans will now be able to stream Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals baseball games through a direct-to-consumer streaming package offered by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. MASN+ will be available for customers beginning on Monday for $19.99 a month or $89.99 for the remainder of the season as local games continue airing over the regional sports network.
With the deal encompassing the Orioles and Nationals, 29 out of the 30 MLB franchises have an in-market, direct-to-consumer product either through league-owned or third-party platforms.
The MASN+ platform will grant subscribers access to content airing on MASN and MASN2, including all Orioles and Nationals games airing on the platform. MASN+ will be available through the official MASN website or by utilizing iOS and Android mobile devices, along with streaming services such as Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
This deal occurs as the Nationals organization is in the final year of its existing contract with MASN, the regional sports network in which the Orioles hold a majority stake. Furthermore, both teams resolved their dispute surrounding the network in early March, which included the dismissal of litigation between the parties pertaining to these matters.
“Our goal is to connect all fans to the excitement of Orioles and Nationals baseball,” Greg Bader, executive vice president and general manager of MASN, said in a statement. “MASN+ allows O’s and Nats fans throughout the Mid-Atlantic who have elected to cut the cord to view their favorite team’s games and all that MASN has to offer.”
The future of regional sports networks is somewhat unknown as MLB has expressed aspirations to hold local linear and digital television rights upon the expiration of current national broadcasting contracts after 2028. In fact, the league is currently producing and disseminating broadcasts for six teams through its local media arm as it reportedly holds conversations surrounding rights in which it and ESPN mutually opted out after this season. Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence conveyed that MASN had 3.3 million subscribers in 2023, which was down by more than 2 million subscribers five years earlier.
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