MASN Faces Issues With Nationals As Fourth Season Comes To Close
MASN is approaching the end of its fourth season and has "overcome early growing pains but still faces challenges -- low ratings and complaints by [Nationals] fans -- to better establish itself" in Baltimore and DC, according to Jeff Barker of the Baltimore SUN. MASN this year paid both the Orioles and Nationals $26M, and for the Orioles, who own the network, the net is "fulfilling its goals of televising both teams' games while providing the franchises predictable revenue in good economic times and bad." Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail: "It's important to have a steady stream of revenue that you can count on going into the future that's substantial. It's unlike other revenues that rise and fall." Barker notes MASN's advocates "believe the arrangement protects the clubs from situations where -- after a bad year on the field -- they would have to negotiate at a disadvantage with networks vying for broadcast rights." MASN is available in 5.2 million HHs and "has doubled its advertising" from '07. At the All-Star break, Nationals games on the net were averaging a 0.39 rating, "worst by far" in MLB. TV sports analyst & consultant John Mansell: "I do think it (the ratings) will turn around once the team starts winning." But Mansell said that the Nationals "face a longer-term issue -- rights fees." Mansell: "If you look at rights fees, they are generally based on the size of the market. And the [DC] market is really much larger than the Baltimore market, so they ought to be getting a bigger rights fee" (Baltimore SUN, 9/26).
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