When the clock struck midnight, it marked not only a new year, but also the expiration of the Washington Nationals deal with MASN. The Nationals marriage with MASN was forced upon them by the Orioles as a condition to moving to DC. It has created plenty of tension between the two franchises, but after a settlement last year, the Nats are now free to move on.
However, this break from MASN also creates uncertainty. Now that the deal has expired, Nats fans do not know where they will be watching their favorite team. The Nats have not found a new TV partner. There are some options that we will discuss and break down.
The first one, which I suspect may happen, would be to just return to MASN. It is telling that the Nats still do not have a new deal lined up yet, or at least not one that is publicly known. Given the struggles of regional sports networks, the Nats TV rights are not likely to be hot commodities.
There is a strong possibility that the Nats return to MASN on a short term deal and then consider their options down the road. Between a potential sale, the looming lockout and more, a lot can change in the next year or so. With that in mind, the Nats may not want to lock themselves down long term.
However, MASN is far from the only option that could be on the table for the Nats. One option that has been floated around is the idea of moving to Monumental Sports. Monumental is a local RSN that is the home of the Capitals and Wizards. On paper, it would make a ton of sense to just add another team to the mix.
The problem with this could be ownership. Monumental is owned by Ted Leonsis, who just so happens to own the Wizards and Caps. There is a good chance he does not have interest in bringing the Nats to Monumental if he does not get a piece of the team. A partial, or even full sale to Leonsis is intriguing given how the Lerner family is running this team. It does not seem to be on the table, at least in the near future.
Another potential option would be selling the streaming rights to ESPN. In a new media rights agreement with ESPN, six teams decided to give their streaming rights to ESPN. A lot of those teams were impacted by the Bally bankruptcy a few years back. With the Nats in limbo, this option could be on the table.
There is also a new development that could be worth tracking. DAZN is reportedly close to acquiring Main Street Sports Group, which owns the TV rights for 29 MLB, NBA and NHL teams. With new ownership, they could be looking to add to their portfolio, and the Nats need a new home.
There is no guarantee there, but it is worth tracking. Regardless, the Nats TV situation is in a state of limbo. Like so much of the franchise, there are so many unknowns regarding this situation.
Fans deserve easy access to their favorite teams’ games. Ideally, the Nats gain from this financially, but at the end of the day, the fans need to come first here. This is a story we will continue to follow and hopefully it can get resolved soon.