Jul 30, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles majority owner David Rubenstein behind home plate during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
SARASOTA—The long-running Mid-Atlantic Sports Network legal dispute between the Orioles and Washington Nationals has ended, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.
The end comes near the one-year anniversary of David Rubenstein purchasing the Orioles from the Angelos family.
According to a statement by MLB: “The Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles jointly announce the final resolution of all issues related to the MASN dispute.
“For the 2025 season, Washington Nationals games will continue to be televised locally exclusively by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) under a new, one-year contract. After this term, the Nationals will be free to explore alternatives for their television rights for the 2026 season and beyond. As part of the settlement, all disputes related to past media rights between the Nationals, Orioles, and MASN have been resolved, and all litigation will be dismissed.
“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. Both Clubs thank our fans for their support and look forward to continuing their partnership with MASN for the upcoming season.”
Major League Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark was visiting the Orioles’ clubhouse as part of his annual tour of major league teams when the announcement of the settlement came.
Clark and the players are intensely interested in the changing media landscape.
“Depending on where those rights go, there are conversations that will need to be had at the bargaining table,” Clark said. “We stay close to the league in appreciating where those rights are going as best we can what tomorrow is going to look like.”
Under MASN, the Orioles and Nationals were treated equally. Half of each team’s games were featured on MASN, half on MASN2. Beginning in 2026, the Orioles will be free to show as many Grapefruit League games as they want. Currently, MASN has to produce an equal number of Orioles and Nationals games each spring.
The Orioles and MASN would be free to offer games to a local broadcast affiliate in Baltimore without having to secure a station in Washington for Nationals games.
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