Comcast may soon drop regional sports networks (RSN) MASN, the exclusive home for the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles.
MASN is listed on the cable TV provider’s programming changes page, which lists contracts “have recently expired or may expire soon.”
“Once a channel contract expires, we no longer have the right to carry that channel and associated on-demand content on our platforms. Loss of broadcast stations listed here would include loss of the multicast signals, if any, associated with the stations,” Comcast said on its site.
Comcast told Cord Cutters News that the channel’s contract doesn’t expire until the end of February and renewal discussions are ongoing.
This comes as RSNs have been struggling amid the cord cutting surge. With more viewers moving to streamers, cable operators are losing money on carriage fees. This means RSNs are also losing money. To stay afloat, many RSNs have been seeking live streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu Live, but some live streamers think RSNs are too expensive.
Last month, MASN, owned by the Orioles, said they were selling the team and the channel to a private equity firm. The Washington Nationals also have a stake in MASN. If the channel is no longer carried by Comcast, the deal could be less valuable.
The cable provider previously lost MSG, home of multiple New York teams in 2021, and Altitude, home of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche in 2019 — both over fee disputes.
The cable operator also recently moved SportsNet Pittsburgh — home of the Pirates and Penguins — from the Xfinity’s Popular TV package to the pricier Ultimate TV package. Root Sports Network — home of the Blazers, Mariners, and Kraken — were also moved to the Ultimate TV package.
MASN wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The news was reported earlier by The TV Answer Man.
Please follow us on Facebook and X for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified INSP as an RSN.