The Washington Nationals announced on Wednesday that they are ending their 20-year television partnership with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), co-owned primarily by the Baltimore Orioles, and will now partner directly with Major League Baseball to produce and distribute their local game broadcasts starting in the 2026 season.
This shift ends a long and contentious relationship that began in 2005 when the former Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., entering what had been Baltimore's exclusive TV territory. MASN was created to broadcast both teams' games, with the Orioles holding a supermajority stake (initially 90%, gradually decreasing) and receiving a larger share of profits as compensation for the market overlap.
The arrangement led to over a decade of lawsuits and disputes, primarily over rights fees and revenue distribution, before a settlement in March 2025 allowed the Nationals the option to exit after the 2025 season.
The Nationals become the seventh MLB team to adopt MLB's in-house production and distribution approach for local telecasts, joining the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners. This trend reflects broader changes in the media landscape, including the decline of traditional regional sports networks amid cord-cutting and streaming growth.
For Orioles fans and MASN, the change means the network will now focus solely on Baltimore games (with MASN2, used for simultaneous broadcasts, being discontinued), potentially impacting its viability in a challenging RSN environment.
Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner described the move as "a new chapter," expressing excitement about collaborating with MLB to elevate the viewing experience through world-class broadcasts across TV and streaming. Additional details, including broadcasters (following Bob Carpenter's retirement after 20 seasons) and spring training plans, are expected soon.