Root Sports Northwest, the regional sports network that delivers Mariners game telecasts around a five-state region, and is also owned principally by the MLB club, announced Monday that games will be digitally streamed at no extra charge to authenticated consumers whose carriers have agreed to participate.
Other Root RSNs that carry games of the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, were also permitted to stream.
The agreement with MLB Advanced Media, which owns the content distribution rights for all teams, brings to 27 the number of clubs that are permitted to stream to consumers in-market. The only clubs that do not stream are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.
However, the Northwest’s largest cable company, Comcast, which distributes throughout Seattle and western Washington, and DISH Network, the nation’s No. 2 satellite provider, were not listed as participating. A Mariners spokesperson had no information on their absences.
“This is an important step for Root Sports and great news for Mariners fans,” Patrick Crumb, president of AT&T Sports Networks, said in a press release. “We will continue to work toward expanding our streaming rights portfolio so fans will have additional ways to watch the sports content they love, including on phones, tablets and other mobile devices.”
Root was previously owned by DirecTV, the nation’s top satellite provider. DirecTV was acquired in 2015 by AT&T for $67 billion, including debt. In 2013, the Mariners acquired majority ownership, reported to be 71 percent, of Root Sports with an agreement that Root would continue as the RSN’s operators.
Besides Washington, Root is distributed in Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, MLB’s largest geographic monopoly.
For more information on streaming, go to Root Sports.
The current list of distributors:
3 Rivers Communications, Access Montana, Ashland Home Net, Beaver Creek Cooperative Telephone, Clear Creek Communications, DirectLink, DIRECTV, Hood Canal Communications, Inland Networks, KPU Telecommunications, LocalTel Communications, Mid Rivers Communications, MINET, Northland Communications, Nemont, PMT, Rainier Connect, Whidbey Telcom and Zito Media.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2232672 https://sportspressnw.wpengine.com/?p=2232672">6 Comments
This is a good start. Cut cable and miss watching games, but because of regulations I can’t even buy packages to watch online. Hurry up and get a app so you can take my money ROOT!
MLB probably won’t allow it. They will protect the local teams deal with cable companies. That’s why this streaming option will only be available to people who already pay for cable tv.
That is right. I have tried to purchase MLB, but because of my location I am hosed. No one wants my $$$ :-(
Actually, you have to have some pay-TV service to be authenticated before you are allowed to stream games — after Root gets an app for it.
The public is paying for Safeco Field. How is it that M’s games are not broadcast OTA?