Comcast Moving Monumental Sports to More Expensive Plan

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

Comcast is now notifying subscribers in the Baltimore-Washington market that it will move the Monumental Sports Network from the Popular to the more expensive Ultimate plan starting September 15. Monumental is the regional TV home of the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics.

The Ultimate plan is $20 more expensive than Popular. A Comcast spokesperson said the cable operator will offer a free preview of Ultimate until September 30 and will offer promotional discounts starting October 1 for those who want to switch.

Comcast last year moved MASN, the regional TV home of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals in the Baltimore-Washington market, from Popular to Ultimate. With MASN and Monumental gone, Ultimate subscribers will pay a reduced regional sports fee, the Comcast spokesperson said. However, it will not be eliminated entirely because Popular still offers the ACC Network and the Big Ten Network.

Comcast, which has moved several other RSNs from Popular to Ultimate, saves money by doing so because it does not have to pay the channels as much in carriage fees because fewer subscribers would have access to it. Carriage fees are based on the number of subscribers who have access to the channel. And by moving a RSN from Popular to Ultimate, fewer subs would have access. Ergo, Comcast pays fewer fees.

However, Comcast also benefits Popular subscribers because it can reduce the sports fee in that plan. This enables the company to lower the plan’s price which is key to its strategy to attract cost-conscious consumers who have shifted to less expensive streaming services.

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