Question: I’m excited that the MASN mess with the Nats has been resolved. I will be interested in learning the details of the settlement. More important, I’d love to get a sense of what the future holds. Who will lead the charge in re-envisioning the future state of MASN? How does this fit in with the MLB/ESPN split and the uncertainty about regional networks? Any thoughts? From: Tom Taylor
Answer: Tom, since the announcement about the settlement, I’ve received many questions, some similar to yours.
5Brooks5 wants to know how much money the Orioles are sending to the Nationals. Paul Schmidt and James Fisher want to know if fans in Richmond will get to see Orioles games since they’re blacked out there. LTaylor9 and C.R. Hassell Jr. want to know about viewers in North Carolina. Maureen Kimmitt wants to know if MLB will not block out Orioles games. Jerry Carroll wants to know if MASN will ever stream. Christopher Berry wants to know what the Orioles get in return. Kevin Zawacki and others want to know if MASN will be back on DISH Network. Dan Hudson wants to know if the Orioles will be looking at a new arrangement.
These are all good questions, and I don’t know the answers, but I will speculate. Since the Nationals will be on MASN for this season, I can’t imagine if anything will change for 2025.
Over the next several months, answers to many of these questions will be revealed. I don’t know how much money the Orioles are sending to the Nationals to end the dispute, but I’m sure that amount will be reported in the near future.
Blackouts have damaged not only Orioles fans, but fans of other teams, too, and commissioner Rob Manfred is attempting to package many teams’ games, but he’s targeting perhaps 2028 when many teams’ agreements with regional sports networks end.
I would expect the Orioles to finally have a direct to consumer streaming product for 2026. If they offered one this year, I presume they’d have to include Nationals games as part of it, doubling the cost, and few Oriole fans would be interested in paying for Nationals games.
Because the Orioles own MASN, they’re on more solid financial footing than other clubs whose regional sports network deals collapsed in the last few years. I’m sure they’ll be looking at new and different ways of distributing the games for 2026 and beyond.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.