After Legal Battles, Nationals Shift Local TV Production to MLB
The Washington Nationals have finalized a long-awaited local television arrangement, announcing that Major League Baseball will produce and distribute the club’s game broadcasts beginning in 2026. Under the new setup, games will air locally through cable and satellite providers and be available on MLB’s streaming platform via Nationals.TV. The move ends years of uncertainty surrounding how Nationals games would reach fans in the Washington market.
The agreement follows MLB’s decision last year to free the Nationals from their longstanding relationship with Mid-Atlantic Sports Network after the 2025 season. That ruling closed the book on a legal dispute dating back to 2012 between the Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles over television rights and revenue.
Washington becomes the seventh MLB club to partner directly with the league for local game telecasts, joining the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners. The shift reflects MLB’s growing role in local broadcast distribution as teams seek more stability and direct control following the unraveling of several regional sports network deals.
