""Today's announcement represents a new chapter for Washington Nationals baseball," owner Mark Lerner said in a press release. "Partnering with MLB offers us several new opportunities that will greatly improve the on-air product, including technological enhancements, the ability to work more closely with our broadcasters, and create added opportunities for our valued corporate partners.""
"It officially concludes a fraught relationship with MASN, the network which had been jointly owned by the Nationals and Orioles since the former relocated to D.C. in 2005. Those two decades were marred by disputes over rights fees. The Orioles held a majority stake in the network as a condition of the Nationals relocating into their geographic territory."
"This comes as the RSN model continues its decline around the league. The Nationals are the seventh team to turn broadcasts over to MLB. The Diamondbacks, Padres, Twins, Guardians, Rockies and Mariners have also done so."
The Washington Nationals stepped away from their local broadcasting deal with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Major League Baseball will handle in-market distribution via MLB.tv streaming and forthcoming cable and satellite partnerships. Owner Mark Lerner said the partnership with MLB will enable technological improvements, closer collaboration with broadcasters, and new opportunities for corporate partners. The move ends a strained MASN relationship rooted in two decades of rights-fee disputes and an Orioles majority stake tied to the Nationals' relocation. A March agreement after the Orioles' sale settled past disputes and allowed the Nationals to pursue other broadcast options in 2026. The Nationals are the seventh team to shift away from the RSN model.
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