By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former Sony employee and editor of 4 TV magazines.

TV Answer Man, I’ve subscribed to DIRECTV Stream for the past few years to get MASN for my Nationals games. Now that Fubo has MASN, should I cancel DIRECTV Stream and get Fubo? It’s cheaper than DIRECTV Stream. — Barry, Deale, Maryland.

Barry, Fubo, the multi-channel live streaming service, said yesterday that it will add MASN, the regional TV home of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.

The announcement was great news for D.C./Baltimore area fans, particularly Fubo’s statement that MASN will be available in all three of its programming packages, including its base $80 a month Pro plan. Until now, cable and satellite cord cutters had just one option to watch MASN: DIRECTV Stream’s Choice package which starts at $108.99 a month. Fubo’s Pro package is nearly $30 cheaper.

But before you make the switch, Barry, take a breath. There are two reasons why you might not want to switch, particularly now.

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1. March Madness
The 2024 Men’s college basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, will begin next week and run until April 8 with the championship game. The games will be available on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. The problem with that is that Fubo doesn’t carry TBS, TNT and truTV. So if you switch to Fubo now, you will miss the majority of the games. (Here’s a March Madness TV schedule.)

And there’s another good reason why you might not want to switch now. Fubo says MASN will be added before opening day on March 28. It could be another two weeks before the channel is actually in Fubo’s lineup.

2. Regional Sports Fee
While Fubo’s Pro plan, which will include MASN, is approximately $30 less expensive than DIRECTV Stream’s Choice package, Fubo has a regional sports fee and DIRECTV Stream does not. Depending upon the area, the Fubo RSN fee could be as high as $14.99 a month. So you could wind up paying $95 a month ($80 for Pro and $15 for the RSN fee) to watch the Nats and O’s, not $80. That would mean Fubo would be just $14 cheaper a month to get MASN.

I am one of the many in the D.C./Baltimore market who get DIRECTV Stream to get MASN. And I will likely switch to Fubo when MASN is officially added. But I will definitely wait until after March Madness is over. And if I switch, it will be knowing the savings is not what it might seem.

Barry, 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.