For baseball fans who are Comcast subscribers, recent changes in carriage agreements have had a significant impact on their ability to watch games on television. This week, the agreement between Comcast and Diamond Sports Group, which owns 18 regional sports networks, expired. As a result, Comcast customers in more than a dozen markets were unable to watch their local Major League Baseball teams on TV.
In the past, the traditional local sports media business model involved sports teams selling their rights to regional sports networks who would then sell carriage rights to cable companies. However, with the rise of streaming services, consumers now have more options and can choose to purchase only what they want instead of a whole bundle. Some fans have resorted to pirating games as a result of these changes.
Recently, some sports teams have started selling their rights to local broadcasting affiliates rather than regional sports networks. This shift towards local broadcasting affiliates is reminiscent of how sports were watched in the ’70s and ’80s. By allowing fans to access games through cable or even with a basic antenna, providing free access to a broader audience.
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