Washington Nationals: No In-Market Streaming For 2017

Along with two other teams, fans inside the beltway cannot video stream Washington Nationals games again this season legally.

The Washington Nationals will not have games streamed in-market this year, which is a shame.

At a time where, with a valid cable subscription, 27 of the 30 Major League Baseball clubs allow you to watch games on your smart television or mobile device of choice without paying for the out-of-town package, the Nationals join the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers as hold outs.

As the Dodgers and Spectrum Cable fight with other companies just to get their games on television, Baltimore and Washington play on two channels widely available in the Delmarva area. If you can watch HBO anyplace with a valid subscription why cannot you sit at the National Mall to catch an inning of a game at Nationals Park?

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The forced marriage between the Orioles and Nationals on television has never been easy. Baltimore and Peter Angelos own a super-majority share of MASN. The Nats— to make the move from Montreal—signed away those rights for having the team in O’s territory. In appeasing Angelos, Washington misses out on millions.

We know how stretched the bottom line is now as players sign elsewhere for discounts. This money matters.

So does keeping fans involved. Not everyone sits at home to watch every game. Have an appointment and stuck in a waiting room as the Nats battle the New York Mets? In Vermont, you can watch on the MLB At-Bat app live—or listen to WJFK—but those in Arlington cannot.

As baseball, the never-ending marathon of goodness, battles for attention in this fast-paced era, allowing streaming is smart. Sure, cord-cutters are out of luck in-market. You need a valid account in Albany to catch the Mets broadcasts aside from the television. Still, it is a step in the right direction in getting those not tethered to watch.

Washington is not at fault here yet, as the Nats push on the field and build those precious established ties, they fall behind the Redskins, Capitals and Wizards in availability. Wedded to cable television, as most sports are, the model for delivery is now old fashioned. Fed up with high rates for channels they do not want, millions are shutting off the cable.

MLB must reach those people somehow. Although most sports fans stay connected, the casual fans do not. It is equally important to put the product and advertising out there for folks who watch five games a year, maybe, as it is to those watching over 100.

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Streaming bridges the gap. The days of cable exclusive are going the way of the old black and white set and not coming back.

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