Nationals Finally Free As MASN Rights Settled After 20 Years

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network dispute involving MLB, the Nationals, and the Orioles—which has roiled the sport for two decades—is at last over following a landmark settlement involving the three entities. 

The Nationals, whose local media rights have been tied to the Orioles-controlled regional sports network for their entire 20-year existence, are free to pursue other deals after a final season on MASN in 2025. The settlement also involves the dismissal of all legal claims, which over the years brought the MASN dispute into a series of courts and internal MLB processes without final resolution.

MASN debuted in 2005 as a means to help compensate the late former Orioles owner Peter Angelos following the relocation of the Montreal Expos to Washington to become the Nationals. Almost immediately in the RSN’s existence, however, the Orioles and Nationals battled over media-rights fees, with Washington alleging the Orioles and MASN were not providing fair-market value. The Nationals were the only MLB team not in full control of their own local rights, and the MASN arrangement—originally designed to last in perpetuity—cast a long cloud over team operations, including unsuccessful prior efforts to sell the franchise.

Because of that, the MASN situation remained one of MLB’s thorniest problems. Ultimately, though, several key factors aided the final settlement:

• A 2019 legal ruling in the Supreme Court of the State of New York favoring the Nationals. That decision influenced an eventual rights-fee agreement nearly two years ago between the two clubs for the 2011–2016 seasons, and then a subsequent one struck later in 2023 covering the 2017–2021 seasons. A recent decision by MLB’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee, which oversaw the settling of rights for both the Orioles and Nationals, similarly found that Washington was due an average of $64.1 million in annual-rights fees for the 2022–2026 seasons. That decision is now being superseded by the settlement. 
• A nearly complete change from the key figures in the original formation of MASN and litigation of rights fees. Former MLB president Bob DuPuy left the league in 2010, former commissioner Bud Selig departed in early 2015, Angelos died nearly a year ago and just as his family completed a sale of the Orioles to David Rubenstein, and former Nationals owner Ted Lerner died in early 2023. 
• Large-scale disruption in the entire media business, a situation that now has MLB commissioner Rob Manfred looking to overhaul the sport’s entire portfolio of national and local rights. The MASN split is the second major shift in baseball media in two weeks after the MLB-ESPN divorce. 

“The Nationals and Orioles extend their gratitude to commissioner Manfred and his team at MLB for their efforts in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion,” the teams said in a joint statement. “Both clubs thank our fans for their support and look forward to continuing their partnership with MASN for the upcoming season.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Next Up?

It now bears close watching whether the Nationals will now align with the Ted Leonsis–controlled Monumental Sports Network. Leonsis is close to Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner, and Lerner is part of the ownership group at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. 

Leonsis, meanwhile, has expressed interest acquiring both baseball rights for his RSN, and potentially the Nationals franchise if the Lerner family restarts aborted efforts to sell. 

“They know our intentions, and at some point, we’ll reengage,” Leonsis told Front Office Sports Today last year regarding the Lerners and the Nationals.