Researcher Ampere Analysis estimates that the regional broadcast rights of Major League Baseball (MLB), the baseball league based in the United States, are worth $1.6 billion, or €1.4bn, in 2026.3 That value holds despite the collapse of the traditional cable model.2 If you watch sport without a cable bundle, this shift shapes what you can see.
Why broadcast rights matter
Broadcast rights are the fees that networks and services pay to show games. Regional rights make up 43% of the league's $3.7 billion in total broadcast rights revenue.1 That is a big share of the money behind the sport.
A regional rights deal covers the local broadcast of a team's games outside national television packages.1 When the deal changes, your viewing options change with it.
How regional sports networks work
Regional sports networks, or RSNs, traditionally broadcast teams' games to local audiences outside national television packages.1 They are rooted in linear cable, the traditional pay television model.1
In the league's home market, sports appear on various broadcast networks, national and specialty sports cable channels, and regional sports networks.5 So RSNs are one route to the screen among several.
Cord-cutting pressure
RSNs have come under increasing pressure from cord-cutting, as households move away from traditional pay television.1 Cord-cutting simply means leaving a pay television bundle for streaming. If you have done that yourself, you are part of this trend.
Ampere estimates that, in the league's home market, pay television households will fall from 96 million in 2016 to 65 million by the end of 2026.3 Streaming households will rise from 57 million to 112 million over the same period.3
Teams lose their partners
Over the past four years, 13 of MLB's 30 teams have lost their regional sports network partner.3 Twelve of those losses followed the bankruptcies of two companies that ran regional sports networks, Diamond Sports and Main Street Sports Group.3
What it means for cord-cutters
When a team loses its network partner, the traditional route for its local broadcasts is disrupted.1 That search can be confusing, especially if you live far from the team.
At the same time, the rights remain valuable. That gives rights holders a reason to keep finding new homes for games, and streaming is one place they can look.
What to watch next
New data from Ampere shows why teams have been so hesitant to join an in-market streaming service (a streaming option tied to a local market), but there is hope for fans.4
The key question is how teams without a regional network partner will reach local fans. Watch for new local deals and for teams that test streaming. Both would change where you find games.
How to watch without overpaying
Regional rights are tied to local audiences, so what you can watch may depend on where you live.1 Rights deals can change, so check again each season.
- Unlicensed streams are risky and often illegal.
- Check what your local broadcasters offer for free before you pay for a bundle.
If you are looking for something to watch, you can browse all live channels on Open TV Streams.