By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.
Fubo, the live streaming service, last night lost the Monumental Sports Network due to a carriage dispute between the two companies. The channel is the regional TV home of the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
Monumental Sports said in a statement that the channel was removed “after a lengthy negotiating process…throughout the process, we negotiated in good faith to keep our local independent network available to Fubo’s subscribers, including offering Fubo market-rate terms that other larger distributors have accepted. Unfortunately, Fubo did not appear motivated to come to a deal and refused several generous offers.”
Fubo has yet to comment on the blackout. The streamer said it had no comment last week when asked by The TV Answer Man about Monumental’s threat to remove the channel if a new deal was not reached.
Update: Fubo released the following statement: “Our mission has always been to offer a leading package of premium sports, news, and entertainment programming while balancing value and keeping your costs as low as possible. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach terms with Monumental Sports Network to renew our content agreement. As a result, Monumental Sports Network has left Fubo as of June 15th, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET.”
For Fubo subscribers in the Washington, D.C. area, the loss of Monumental comes after the streamer recently added MASN, the regional TV home of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. It’s unclear if Fubo will reduce the regional sports fee in the DC market during the Monumental blackout.
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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.
