MASN’s contract with Comcast extended
Deal set to end Thursday as sides remain in discussions
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network’s carriage agreement with Comcast has been extended by a week, meaning that Orioles fans who subscribe to Comcast-operated Xfinity will be able to watch the team’s spring training game today at 1:05 p.m. against the New York Yankees.
The contract was to expire Thursday, the last day of February, but was extended to March 7, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private discussions.
On Xfinity’s “programming changes” page on its website, which shows when agreements expire, the company has updated MASN’s listing from expiring in February to expiring in March.
A Comcast spokesperson said in a statement, “We are still in discussions.” A spokesperson for the Orioles did not reply to a request for comment.
If the sides don’t reach a new deal by next week or can’t agree on another extension, MASN would be blacked out to Xfinity subscribers.
Launched in 2005 as the TV home of the Washington Nationals and Orioles, MASN has had a deal with Xfinity since 2006. There is no direct-to-consumer option to watch MASN, so fans need to subscribe to a television service (typically a cable package) to watch the bulk of Orioles and Nationals games.
The ongoing negotiations come as the Orioles are going through a sale from the Angelos family, the club’s longtime owners, to a group led by Baltimore native and billionaire David Rubenstein. MASN, which is majority-owned by the Orioles, is included in the sale. The transaction still needs the formal approval of MLB team owners.
“We just want to get it done as quickly as possible,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in early February of approving the Orioles’ sale.
It’s a challenging time for regional sports networks like MASN, which have lost subscribers in recent years as many TV watchers pivot from cable to streaming.
In other markets — such as Seattle and Pittsburgh — Comcast has recently moved regional sports networks to more expensive, premium tiers.
If a similar move were made in the Baltimore area, subscribers who don’t watch MASN could expect to see a slight decrease in their cable bill.
That’s because it would no longer include the regional sports network fee associated with MASN. But baseball fans who want to watch Orioles and Nationals games would have to subscribe to an elevated Xfinity package, switch to another cable provider (for example: Verizon Fios or DirecTV) or the streaming service DirecTV Stream.
Beyond today, Orioles spring training games on March 11, March 19, March 20, March 21 and March 23 are scheduled to appear on MASN. Opening day will take place March 28 at Camden Yards against the Los Angeles Angels.