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MLB Local Media
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MLB Local Media
MLB Local Media is a division of Major League Baseball that produces and distributes regional television broadcasts. Established prior to the 2023 season, and leveraging resources from MLB Network, the division currently holds the local media rights to 14 of MLB's 30 teams.
The division was established in 2023 amid uncertainties in the regional sports network market, including the bankruptcy of Bally Sports (now FanDuel Sports Network) owner Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports Group), and Warner Bros. Discovery's winddown of the AT&T SportsNet networks, with the intended capability of taking over a team's regional media rights on short notice if their respective broadcaster is no longer able to carry their games. The division made its on-air debut on May 31, 2023, when it took over broadcast rights to the San Diego Padres from Bally Sports San Diego after it missed a rights payment. In July 2023, MLB also took over the rights to the Arizona Diamondbacks from Bally Sports Arizona under similar circumstances.
In 2024, MLB Local Media added the Colorado Rockies, and started producing MLB Sunday Leadoff with its move to The Roku Channel. It acquired the rights to the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners in 2025, albeit with the Mariners' telecasts continuing to air on Root Sports Northwest until its closure after the end of the season. MLB Local Media would add eight additional teams for 2026, including the Washington Nationals (following the resolution of its long-standing rights disputes with the Baltimore Orioles' MASN), and—amid continued financial issues at Main Street Sports Group—seven teams who were formerly televised by FanDuel Sports Network. The unit also reached an agreement to provide production and distribution support to the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings (which share common ownership with the Detroit Tigers).
MLB Local Media regional broadcasts are distributed via ad-hoc agreements with television providers in each team's home market, as well as over-the-top (OTT) subscription packages hosted by MLB.tv (branded under names such as Padres.tv and DBacks.tv), available separately from MLB.tv's out-of-market service. Beginning in the 2025 season, MLB Local Media also began to syndicate packages of broadcasts to terrestrial television stations in the teams' local markets.
On February 24, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery, owners of the AT&T SportsNet regional sports networks, announced that it would leave the RSN business. At the time, AT&T SportsNet held the rights to three MLB teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros. The company sent messages to those teams, notifying them they had until March 31 to reach an agreement to take their rights back or acquire the networks. If no deal was made before the deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery stated that the channels would go into Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. Root Sports Northwest, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Discovery and the Seattle Mariners, was not affected by the announcement. Despite the March deadline, Major League Baseball negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to keep the networks operational through the 2023 Major League Baseball season. The Houston and Pittsburgh networks would be sold to joint ventures of their respective teams, while WBD would later sell its stake in Root Sports to the Mariners.
On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports Group, owners of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing came 30 days after the company failed to make a $140M interest payment. At the time, Diamond Sports held the rights to 14 MLB teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.
In January 2023, MLB hired Billy Chambers—a former executive of Bally Sports' predecessor Fox Sports Networks—as its executive vice president of local media; Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred stated that Chambers would "play an integral role in how we navigate the rapidly evolving local media landscape in the future". In March 2023, MLB Local Media was formally established, with the hiring of former SportsNet Pittsburgh executive Doug Johnson, and former Bally Sports executives Greg Pennell and Kendall Burgess; all three would report to Chambers. It was anticipated that the group could take over broadcasts of teams under AT&T SportsNet or Bally Sports on short notice if they are unable to continue their relationships with the teams; MLB Local Media had been working with MLB Network staff to prepare for such a scenario, including adapting an existing MLB Network graphics package so that it could be readily customized for individual teams.
In May 2023, Diamond Sports was on the verge of missing a second straight rights payment to the San Diego Padres, with a grace period expiring on the 31st; the rights to the team would revert to Major League Baseball on this date if the deadline were missed. Chambers and the MLB Local Media team were on standby for the Padres' series at the Miami Marlins, and began preparing its production on May 30, with only 24 hours' notice. The new broadcasting arrangements would involve ad-hoc agreements between MLB and individual television providers in the San Diego Padres' market, as well as an over-the-top, in-market subscription package hosted on the MLB.tv platform known as Padres.tv. The service is a separate subscription from MLB.tv's out-of-market service.
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MLB Local Media
MLB Local Media is a division of Major League Baseball that produces and distributes regional television broadcasts. Established prior to the 2023 season, and leveraging resources from MLB Network, the division currently holds the local media rights to 14 of MLB's 30 teams.
The division was established in 2023 amid uncertainties in the regional sports network market, including the bankruptcy of Bally Sports (now FanDuel Sports Network) owner Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports Group), and Warner Bros. Discovery's winddown of the AT&T SportsNet networks, with the intended capability of taking over a team's regional media rights on short notice if their respective broadcaster is no longer able to carry their games. The division made its on-air debut on May 31, 2023, when it took over broadcast rights to the San Diego Padres from Bally Sports San Diego after it missed a rights payment. In July 2023, MLB also took over the rights to the Arizona Diamondbacks from Bally Sports Arizona under similar circumstances.
In 2024, MLB Local Media added the Colorado Rockies, and started producing MLB Sunday Leadoff with its move to The Roku Channel. It acquired the rights to the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Seattle Mariners in 2025, albeit with the Mariners' telecasts continuing to air on Root Sports Northwest until its closure after the end of the season. MLB Local Media would add eight additional teams for 2026, including the Washington Nationals (following the resolution of its long-standing rights disputes with the Baltimore Orioles' MASN), and—amid continued financial issues at Main Street Sports Group—seven teams who were formerly televised by FanDuel Sports Network. The unit also reached an agreement to provide production and distribution support to the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings (which share common ownership with the Detroit Tigers).
MLB Local Media regional broadcasts are distributed via ad-hoc agreements with television providers in each team's home market, as well as over-the-top (OTT) subscription packages hosted by MLB.tv (branded under names such as Padres.tv and DBacks.tv), available separately from MLB.tv's out-of-market service. Beginning in the 2025 season, MLB Local Media also began to syndicate packages of broadcasts to terrestrial television stations in the teams' local markets.
On February 24, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery, owners of the AT&T SportsNet regional sports networks, announced that it would leave the RSN business. At the time, AT&T SportsNet held the rights to three MLB teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros. The company sent messages to those teams, notifying them they had until March 31 to reach an agreement to take their rights back or acquire the networks. If no deal was made before the deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery stated that the channels would go into Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. Root Sports Northwest, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Discovery and the Seattle Mariners, was not affected by the announcement. Despite the March deadline, Major League Baseball negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to keep the networks operational through the 2023 Major League Baseball season. The Houston and Pittsburgh networks would be sold to joint ventures of their respective teams, while WBD would later sell its stake in Root Sports to the Mariners.
On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports Group, owners of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing came 30 days after the company failed to make a $140M interest payment. At the time, Diamond Sports held the rights to 14 MLB teams: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.
In January 2023, MLB hired Billy Chambers—a former executive of Bally Sports' predecessor Fox Sports Networks—as its executive vice president of local media; Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred stated that Chambers would "play an integral role in how we navigate the rapidly evolving local media landscape in the future". In March 2023, MLB Local Media was formally established, with the hiring of former SportsNet Pittsburgh executive Doug Johnson, and former Bally Sports executives Greg Pennell and Kendall Burgess; all three would report to Chambers. It was anticipated that the group could take over broadcasts of teams under AT&T SportsNet or Bally Sports on short notice if they are unable to continue their relationships with the teams; MLB Local Media had been working with MLB Network staff to prepare for such a scenario, including adapting an existing MLB Network graphics package so that it could be readily customized for individual teams.
In May 2023, Diamond Sports was on the verge of missing a second straight rights payment to the San Diego Padres, with a grace period expiring on the 31st; the rights to the team would revert to Major League Baseball on this date if the deadline were missed. Chambers and the MLB Local Media team were on standby for the Padres' series at the Miami Marlins, and began preparing its production on May 30, with only 24 hours' notice. The new broadcasting arrangements would involve ad-hoc agreements between MLB and individual television providers in the San Diego Padres' market, as well as an over-the-top, in-market subscription package hosted on the MLB.tv platform known as Padres.tv. The service is a separate subscription from MLB.tv's out-of-market service.