By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.

TV Answer Man, thanks for updating us on the MASN situation on Comcast. What do you think will happen? Will we lose MASN? If so, then what? — Larry, Dunkirk, Maryland.

Update: Comcast Signs New Deal With MASN

Larry, the TV Answer Man reported on February 1 that Comcast’s Xfinity Programming Changes page for February lists MASN as a channel whose carriage agreement “(has) recently expired or may expire soon.” We also learned that Comcast’s contract with MASN will expire at the end of this month. The news prompted concern among Washington D.C./Baltimore baseball fans because MASN is the regional TV home of both the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.


Comcast, one of the largest pay TV providers (if not the largest) in the DC/Baltimore market, has carried MASN for nearly 18 years. But the cable operator has demonstrated it’s less willing to pay a premium price for a regional sports channel since its last carriage agreement with MASN was signed in 2021. The cable operator lost MSG, the regional TV home of several New York area teams, in October 2021 due to a fee fight and it hasn’t carried Altitude, the home of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, since August 2019 because of a fee dispute.

In addition, Comcast has moved Root Sports and SportsNet Pittsburgh to more expensive programming packages, which reduces the company’s carriage fees as well as the number of viewers who can see the channels. (In the Root Sports and SportsNet Pittsburgh markets, the RSN fee was reduced or eliminated for those who no longer had those channels in their package.)

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With video subscribers declining, Comcast, like other pay TV operators in a cord-cutting universe, has to be more careful about which channels it carries and how they are paid for.

We have learned that the Comcast and MASN negotiations have begun. My educated guess is that Comcast is seeking to move MASN to a higher tier. The RSN is currently in Comcast’s Popular TV plan, which is $60 a month for new subscribers (not including RSN and Broadcast TV fees which can add another $40 a month). But Comcast likely wants to bump it up to the Ultimate TV package, which is $80 a month (not including the fees.)

MASN might balk at that move because it would mean fewer Comcast subscribers would have access to the channel, which reduces its carriage fees. Some fans (Popular TV subscribers) may also be displeased with the upgrade because it would mean they would have to pay more to watch their hometown teams. (Popular TV fans who are not baseball fans would certainly appreciate the reduced RSN fee.)

However, my prediction is that Comcast and MASN will sign a new agreement that will include moving the channel to the higher tier rather than allowing a blackout to occur. MASN, which is part of the Baltimore Orioles’ team sale to a private equity firm, desperately needs to stay on Comcast. Likewise, Comcast knows that MASN is a popular channel with an influential audience in the DC area — Congress and the federal agencies — and thus will be more willing to compromise to keep it.

In today’s pay TV environment, anything can happen, and a blackout is certainly possible, at least for a short period, but I think MASN will stay on Comcast indefinitely.

Hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.