Washington Nationals Ditching MASN For MLB TV In 2026

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!

The Washington Nationals announced today that they will no longer be part of the MASN regional sports network. Instead, the team’s regional TV broadcasts will be streamed on MLB TV for $99 for the entire 2026 season. The monthly cost will be $19.99. (The team will begin taking subscriptions in February.)

The decision to break away from MASN comes after two decades of the Nationals battling the Baltimore Orioles-controlled RSN over rights fees and other issues. After numerous legal battles, MASN and the Nationals agreed last year to end their relationship following the 2025 season which allowed the DC-based team to seek another TV partner.

The web site, TalkNats.com, was the first to report that the Nationals would partner with MLB Media, the league-owned streaming service that includes MLB TV and in-market regional TV broadcasts for now seven MLB teams.

Despite the linkup with MLB TV, the Nationals said the team’s games would still be available on cable and satellite services and live streamers. However, speculation that MLB would package the seven teams – and possibly more if FanDuel Sports Network shutters – to ESPN appears premature for the 2026 season. The Nationals say at Nationals.TV that their games will not be available to stream on ESPN in 2026.

The Nationals will have to make some decisions on who will be in the broadcasting booth when they debut on MLB TV in 2026. Longtime Nats announcer Bob Carpenter retired after the 2025 season. It’s unclear if color man Kevin Frandsen and swing man Dan Kolko will return.

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