For over two decades, Root Sports Northwest served as the regional television home of the Seattle Mariners. Born from a succession of rebrands — beginning as Fox Sports Net Northwest in 2000, transitioning through FSN Northwest and Comcast SportsNet, and eventually becoming Root Sports in 2011 — the network broadcast countless memorable moments from T-Mobile Park and became a familiar presence for baseball fans across the Pacific Northwest.
That chapter is coming to a close. The decision to shutter Root Sports Northwest marks a major media shift, as Major League Baseball will now assume direct control of Mariners game distribution for the 2024 season. This move follows the dissolution of similar regional sports networks and signals a broader disruption in how games reach fans.
What does this mean for Mariners viewers? Expect a new approach to access, fewer blackout limitations, and a redefinition of regional sports coverage in an era of digital transformation. Fans, are you ready for a different way to watch?
Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) like Root Sports were once cornerstones of local sports broadcasting. These networks operated under a model that relied heavily on lucrative carriage fees paid by cable providers, negotiated in exchange for exclusive local broadcast rights. In markets with loyal fanbases and consistent viewership, RSNs thrived by packaging live games with pre- and post-game content, capturing a loyal regional audience.
Over the last decade, the financial foundation of the RSN model has weakened. Rights deals with professional sports teams became more expensive. For example, some local media rights for MLB teams have surpassed $50 million annually. At the same time, the number of pay-TV subscribers has sharply dropped. According to Leichtman Research Group, major cable providers lost more than 5 million subscribers in 2023 alone, marking a 10% year-over-year decline in U.S. pay-TV households.
Fans no longer accept the expensive and inflexible bundles offered by traditional cable. Instead, they favor on-demand, cheaper digital viewing. Major streaming platforms—Netflix, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV—have disrupted the content landscape. Amid this shift, sports content has become collateral damage since networks like Root Sports were not designed to operate fluidly in a streaming-first environment. Unlike national leagues with broad-scale streaming rights, RSNs depended on local exclusivity and a captive subscriber base.
The struggles at Root Sports reflect a broader collapse across the RSN sector. Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally Sports RSNs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023. Despite having rights to 42 professional teams across MLB, NBA, and NHL, Diamond couldn’t maintain profitability under the old RSN framework. Warner Bros. Discovery pulled out of the regional sports market entirely, exiting from AT&T SportsNet operations after years of shrinking margins.
Each case points to the same conclusion: maintaining profitability is impossible when expenses outpace subscriber growth and digital transformation outpaces legacy systems. RSNs across the board are confronting a new reality—and shutting down has become a rational response.
Major League Baseball has moved decisively to centralize media rights, assuming direct control over the local broadcasts of select teams including the Seattle Mariners. This shift breaks from the regional sports network (RSN) model, where individual teams relied on regional broadcast partners like Root Sports. With RSNs collapsing under unsustainable economics, MLB’s consolidated approach brings consistency, efficiency, and broader accessibility across markets.
Rather than building around legacy cable contracts, MLB is leveraging a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model. That means viewers will now engage with Mariners games through subscriptions offered straight from MLB, not through intermediaries. This approach cuts dependency on bundled packages and broadband gatekeepers, placing full control in the hands of the league—and by extension, fans.
MLB will distribute Mariners games using a digital framework built around flexibility and reach. The league intends to stream live games through MLB.tv, its existing subscription platform, supplemented by integrations with the MLB app and designated smart TV apps. This model mirrors the 2023 transition in San Diego, where MLB took over Padres broadcasts mid-season and successfully migrated fans to its own streaming environment.
In 2023, when Diamond Sports let go of its rights to several MLB teams, the league didn’t hesitate. By midseason, MLB was running the broadcast and DTC subscription model for the Padres and Diamondbacks, offering games for $19.99 per month or $54.99 for the rest of the season. According to MLB, the audience reach actually expanded under this structure.
So, what does this mean for Mariners fans in 2024 and beyond? It means more ways to watch, fewer cable restrictions, and broadcasts managed not by a failing network—but by the league that owns the team’s future.
For more than a decade, Root Sports Northwest held the exclusive television rights to Seattle Mariners games, operating as a regional sports network co-owned by the team and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Mariners had a controlling interest, owning roughly 60% of the network, which gave them an unusual level of influence over their local broadcasts. This vertical integration provided predictable revenue but created limitations in reach, tethering games to a pay-TV ecosystem that continues to lose subscribers at an accelerating pace.
With Root Sports Northwest ceasing operations, Major League Baseball has taken over the production and distribution of Mariners games. MLB now handles everything from game broadcasts to streaming infrastructure, eliminating the previous RSN intermediary. This shift mirrors what the league did for other franchises impacted by the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy, such as the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
While exact revenue figures for the new model haven't been disclosed, prior examples indicate MLB's approach favors short-term stability and broader reach over maximizing immediate broadcast income. Teams receive a flat annual payment from MLB in place of traditional broadcast rights fees. According to a 2023 report by the Sports Business Journal, the Padres, under MLB management, received a guaranteed $60 million in local media revenue—down from their estimated $85 million under Bally Sports, but with dramatically expanded access through free and paid options.
The Mariners and MLB are exploring a direct-to-consumer (DTC) option for fans within the Pacific Northwest. This service would bypass cable altogether, allowing fans to subscribe directly to watch Mariners games live. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking at the 2024 Winter Meetings, called DTC offerings "essential" for future growth, particularly for teams previously reliant on defunct RSNs.
MLB already operates MLB.TV, but current blackout restrictions limit its usefulness for local fans. The new model aims to remove those restrictions, offering subscribers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska full access to live Mariners broadcasts without cable or satellite requirements. Pricing and full launch timing are expected mid-season.
In public remarks, Mariners President of Business Operations Catie Griggs affirmed the organization's support for MLB's takeover. "We’re committed to making Mariners baseball more accessible across platforms," she said in a statement released in May 2024. "This moment allows us to modernize how we connect with fans and ensure our content reaches homes it never could through traditional channels."
She emphasized the organization's close collaboration with MLB on future digital offerings, branding it "an opportunity to lead in shaping the future of sports media." Griggs also confirmed that the team is contributing input on pricing strategies and user experience for the upcoming DTC service.
Since 2013, the U.S. cable and satellite TV industry has lost more than 30 million subscribers. According to Leichtman Research Group, by the end of 2023, traditional pay TV services had just 55.9 million subscribers, down from 100+ million a decade earlier. This represents a 44% decline over ten years. The trend isn't slowing—major providers like Comcast, Charter, and DirecTV each posted year-over-year subscriber declines of 7–10% in 2023 alone.
This exodus is driven by a shift in consumer behavior. Younger viewers increasingly prioritize on-demand access, multi-device streaming, and lower costs. Bundled cable packages no longer hold the same value, particularly for households that exclusively watch sports or rely on over-the-top (OTT) platforms for everything else.
The downstream effect on sports broadcasting is direct and disruptive. Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), which rely on cable bundle fees to remain solvent, now face revenue cliffs. As subscriber bases shrink, the per-subscriber fees that once funded team broadcasting rights dwindle. RSNs like Bally Sports and Root Sports have struggled to sustain operations under these conditions.
TV stations designed around a monopolistic distribution model cannot adapt quickly to a fragmented streaming ecosystem. Advertisers shift to digital, affiliate fees vanish, and legacy broadcast deals become liabilities instead of assets.
For franchises with multi-year RSN contracts, this shift has created financial uncertainty. Historically, teams like the Seattle Mariners earned tens of millions annually from regional TV deals. When RSNs falter, that revenue stream collapses with them.
Without a viable replacement, franchises face a double blow: reduced exposure and diminished income. The collapse of cable viewership upends budgeting, player salaries, and long-term planning.
Major League Baseball has responded to this disruption by centralizing broadcast responsibilities. When Root Sports shutters, MLB will step in and distribute Mariners games directly, just as it has done with Padres and Diamondbacks broadcasts following the implosion of Bally Sports’ operations.
This vertical integration allows the league to standardize distribution, stabilize revenue, and regain control of analytics and fan engagement. MLB no longer depends on third-party networks with shrinking reach. Instead, it owns the relationship and can innovate around it—something RSNs failed to do.
MLB taking over the distribution of Seattle Mariners games means fans no longer need to navigate traditional cable packages. Instead, games will be streamed directly through MLB’s digital platforms, such as MLB.TV and a dedicated team streaming service. This shift removes the limitations that came with regional sports networks like Root Sports, which often forced fans into restrictive, expensive cable subscriptions just to follow their team.
Coverage won’t stop at city or state lines. Fans across Washington and beyond can watch every Mariners game without worrying about blackout rules or geographic eligibility. By centralizing game distribution, MLB eliminates regional divides that once dictated who could see what. For in-market viewers in Seattle, this could mean access through local digital affiliates or MLB’s app with no blackouts. For fans outside of the Pacific Northwest, the streamlined access via national streaming removes previous roadblocks.
Blackout restrictions have long been one of the most frustrating issues in MLB broadcasting. With MLB managing the broadcast directly, those restrictions will be lifted in the Mariners' case. Whether a fan lives blocks from T-Mobile Park or across the country, watching the game now involves the same click of a button. Cable bundles that once forced fans to pay for dozens of unwanted channels are no longer required to access Mariners content.
Instead of locking into year-long TV contracts, fans can opt for a range of subscription options. MLB could offer team-specific monthly plans, include Mariners games in broader MLB.TV packages, or launch a standalone Mariners streaming package. This appeals to both hardcore fans wanting every game and casual viewers preferring a few matchups per month. According to MLB’s current pricing structure, full-season MLB.TV costs around $149.99 annually, but single-team packages fall closer to $129.99, with potential for more granular, per-game or weekend pass pricing in the future.
The Mariners' move away from Root Sports places fans in control—watch how they want, when they want, and without outdated barriers. With MLB at the helm, accessibility aligns with the habits of a digital-first fanbase.
Major League Baseball is accelerating its direct-to-consumer (DTC) strategy as it takes over distribution of Seattle Mariners games. This decision follows years of strategic investment in media platforms that cut cable out of the equation. MLB.TV, launched in 2002, has become one of sports' most mature streaming services. In 2023, it delivered over 12 billion minutes of live game content, according to MLB data — the most in its history and a 9% increase from the previous year. With Root Sports shutting down, MLB will leverage this infrastructure to stream Mariners games directly to fans.
Live Mariners broadcasts will be available through MLB’s redesigned streaming ecosystem. Fans can access games via the MLB app, MLB.tv, or integrated platforms on smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, and desktops. Compatibility extends across iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and most major web browsers. Game feeds will stream in high-definition with audio options and on-demand replays available within minutes of game completion.
Beyond standard subscriptions, MLB is exploring flexible payment models, including single-team packages and per-game access. This model mirrors trends in other entertainment sectors, giving fans more control over what they pay for and how they view.
What changes when the Mariners games go DTC? Expect more than just a stream. MLB is preparing to roll out features that take full advantage of digital delivery. Viewers will be able to toggle real-time statistics, dive into batter-versus-pitcher data, and even watch games using alternate camera angles, from behind the plate to high above center field.
Add in personalized alerts — like notifications when your favorite player is up to bat — and streaming becomes a layered, interactive experience. These tools weren’t feasible under the linear constraints of cable. With full control of the platform, MLB can iterate faster and adapt to what fans actually want.
Other leagues are following similar paths, but not at the same pace. The NBA announced its upgraded League Pass with multiple camera angles and lower-latency streams, but MLB’s head start in digital gives it an operational edge. The NFL, meanwhile, relies on partners like Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football but hasn’t built its own comprehensive streaming hub.
Only a few leagues — notably the UFC and Formula 1 — have achieved the kind of self-managed, global DTC services that MLB is now pioneering for team-level broadcasts. Those platforms required years of development. MLB, in contrast, already holds the digital infrastructure and subscriber base to make the Mariners’ transition a smooth one.
What feature do you want most from a Mariners stream? More angles, advanced metrics, language options? The DTC model opens the door to customization, and feedback loops shorter than ever before.
MLB taking over distribution of Seattle Mariners games opens the door to increased accessibility. No longer tied to Root Sports and a traditional cable subscription, fans can expect multiple viewing platforms to emerge. This shift unlocks the possibility of game streams on MLB.tv, team-specific apps, smart TV integrations, and emerging OTT services.
This flexibility matches viewing habits already shifting away from appointment-based TV. Fans can pause, rewind, or rewatch games on demand. For younger viewers, many of whom have never subscribed to cable, this model aligns perfectly with how they already consume entertainment.
Increased choice brings new challenges. Subscriptions once bundled into a single cable bill may now require navigating multiple services—each with its own cost and login credentials.
Consider this: Will a new MLB-run service include the Mariners in the national package, or limit them to a Northwest-only tier? Without explicit details, the risk of fragmentation stays on the table.
Ultimately, fans gain convenience and flexibility, but may face higher cumulative costs and lingering access issues—all depending on how MLB implements and prices the new distribution model.
Media rights once flowed through a predictable pipeline—teams signed deals with regional sports networks, who then sold packaged games to cable operators. That pipeline is breaking. The MLB's decision to distribute Seattle Mariners games directly marks another chapter in a growing trend: leagues across major sports are reclaiming control over their media rights.
The NFL began this shift by expanding its own media presence with NFL Network and the digital-only NFL+, launched in 2022. The NHL followed suit with NHL.tv, though it has since integrated with ESPN+ to widen reach. The NBA now sells out-of-market games through NBA League Pass directly to consumers and continues developing its in-house production capabilities.
As these leagues invest in their own tech stacks and content infrastructure, they reduce reliance on traditional broadcasters. They're not only dictating terms—they're also owning the platform.
This consolidation of media rights disrupts the legacy model. Regional sports networks (RSNs), like Root Sports, depended on exclusive local content to justify carriage fees charged to cable providers. As leagues pull their content in-house or shift distribution to national platforms, RSNs lose negotiating power—and their entire value proposition begins to collapse.
Cable providers can't guarantee access to local games anymore, which erodes one of their last major value drivers. Households ditching cable aren’t just chasing cheaper subscriptions—they’re following the content. With sports leagues sidestepping RSNs, the pivot accelerates.
Modern sports fans are already choosing side. Do they want a centralized, predictable experience—like ESPN or a RSN might deliver—or would they rather access their favorite team’s content through a dedicated app, complete with behind-the-scenes footage and documentary features?
League-controlled streaming services mean full ownership of the viewing experience. No blackouts. Fewer ad interruptions. Exclusive bonus content. Platforms like MLB.tv and NFL+ aim to be more than game streams—they’re becoming hubs for the culture around the sport itself.
Third-party broadcasters, however, still offer reach, reliability, and professional-grade production. But the trend doesn’t favor third parties holding that control for long. The balance of power is shifting to the rights holders.
Imagine a media world where each MLB or NBA team operates like its own Netflix. With direct-to-consumer control, a club like the Mariners could someday launch a subscription-based “Mariners TV”—games, interviews, minor league coverage, classic games, and original documentaries—all under one digital roof.
The tools for this already exist. Cloud-based production pipelines. Subscription platforms with micro-payment capabilities. What’s missing is only a few years of audience behavior evolving in favor of that model—and the collapse of RSNs is speeding up the timeline.
Franchise-led media branding could turn teams into content companies as much as sports operations. It’s already happening in the Premier League. The jump to North American sports isn’t far behind.
With the shutdown of Root Sports and the transition of Seattle Mariners broadcasts to a league-managed distribution model, Major League Baseball now acts not only as organizer but also as broadcaster. This dual role transforms the league’s relationship with its audience. No longer reliant on regional sports networks (RSNs), MLB is positioning itself as the central hub for team-specific content delivery—streaming games, curating highlights, and managing subscription platforms.
The Seattle shift mirrors a broader move toward centralized, direct-to-consumer strategies. When MLB.tv handles broadcasting duties, the league gains full control over presentation, monetization, user experience, and data collection. This results in a more standardized product and potentially opens the door for interactive features, customized viewing angles, and integrated stats in real time.
This model reshapes fan engagement. Viewers no longer depend on regional cable bundles or unpredictable blackout restrictions. Instead, access flows through apps and smart TVs, with schedules, replays, and in-market games folded into a single platform. For digitally fluent fans, especially younger demographics, this seamless viewing ecosystem enhances participation and retention.
Does traditional cable still matter once all 30 teams operate under a unified MLB platform? That’s the question emerging from Seattle’s pivot—and early signs suggest the answer may be no.
Expect team-specific subscription models to appear. Rather than paying for hundreds of channels or navigating limited RSN footprints, fans might soon purchase access directly from the league—or even the team—for a full season, a series, or a single game. Dynamic pricing, live merchandising, and exclusive digital-only player interviews could become part of the experience.
As MLB iterates on this model, data gathered from Mariners broadcasts will inform broader league strategies. Viewing habits, device usage, and regional demand will shape how other franchises phase out RSN contracts over the coming years.
The new normal points to streaming platforms that reflect team identity and fan culture. While MLB.tv serves as the infrastructure, localized front-ends can offer tailored interfaces for Mariners fans—right down to promo graphics, ticket integrations, and themed content drops after notable wins or historic moments.
Televised baseball no longer conforms to a one-size-fits-all format. Instead, digital-first delivery encourages personalization, algorithmic content discovery, and cross-platform community engagement through social and second-screen apps.
In short: fans won’t just watch Mariners games—they’ll experience them in formats built for how they already consume media today.
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