For years, blackouts have been a frustrating reality for professional sports fans. If you didn’t live in the right area, you couldn’t watch your favorite team’s games unless you paid extra for out-of-market access. However, that could be changing for Major League Baseball (MLB).
According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has initiated discussions with streaming platforms about a potential national broadcast package.
This package would replace the current regional sports network (RSN) model, which often restricts access to games based on geographic location, with streaming packages that would be accessible nationwide.
“When you have the kind of disruption that we have in the media space right now, there’s going to be all sorts of conversations about all sorts of things, and certainly, that is a topic that has been discussed,” Manfred said to the Sports Business Journal. “Those conversations are a product of owners saying, ‘Holy cow, the RSN business is really deteriorating.’ We know the future is going to be streaming. What we’re hearing from the streamers is they want a more national product, and we need to be responsive to what people want to buy.”
The exact details of the potential streaming offering and its potential partners remain unknown. However, it’s clear that MLB is actively seeking partners who are willing to collaborate on a national streaming package that could eliminate blackout restrictions according to Awful Announcing.
This move could change how fans access MLB games, providing greater flexibility and accessibility for viewers across the country. This could also be the final end to the RSN model of TV just as channels like Bally Sports struggle in the face of cord cutting. As discussions continue, baseball fans eagerly await further developments that could reshape how they experience their favorite sport.
Before any of this could happen MLB would need to get a new contract with the Unions in order to reach a new TV contract.