The Seattle Mariners introduced Friday that they’ll shut down Root Sports activities Northwest on the finish of the 2025 season, shifting all facets of broadcast manufacturing, carriage, and streaming of Mariners video games to Main League Baseball starting in 2026.
It marks the top of a decades-long run for the regional sports activities community, relationship again to 1988 when it launched as Northwest Cable Sports activities. The Mariners took full possession of ROOT Sports activities in 2023.
“We proceed to deal with discovering new methods to convey our video games in 2026 and past to our followers and we’ve decided becoming a member of with Main League Baseball is one of the best path,” the Mariners mentioned in a press release. “Starting in 2026 and shifting ahead, Main League Baseball will present alternatives to convey new options and advantages to viewers of Mariners baseball.”
MLB already supported manufacturing for Mariners video games. By 2026, it can take over all broadcast duties.
The transfer underscores the deteriorating financial mannequin for regional sports activities networks amid a shift in how stay sports activities is consumed, as extra followers “lower the wire” and abandon conventional cable packages from suppliers reminiscent of Comcast and DirecTV.
As a part of the development, tech giants together with Amazon — which streams a bundle of New York Yankees video games and has invested closely in NFL and different rights — are spending billions to air stay sports activities on their platforms.
MLB has stepped in to imagine management of broadcasts for different groups together with the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies in recent times.
Mariners followers ought to anticipate related entry to video games subsequent season by way of linear TV and streaming beneath MLB’s manufacturing and streaming infrastructure. Many particulars — channel assignments, and so forth. — nonetheless must be ironed out as MLB takes over totally.
“Mariners.TV” may change into the portal for stay video games on-line, much like different MLB-powered workforce streams that cost an annual subscription.
Earlier this 12 months the Mariners launched the ROOT Sports activities Stream app, providing followers stay video games for $19.99/month.
It’s unclear whether or not present Mariners announcers and analysts will stay on the air subsequent season.
Greater than 25 workers members at ROOT Sports activities shall be laid off, in line with The Seattle Occasions.
The information comes with simply three days left within the 2025 common season and because the Mariners put together for a postseason run after profitable the AL West division title this week, for the primary time since 2001.
The Mariners are led by CEO and Chairman John Stanton, a wi-fi and cellular pioneer within the Seattle area who took over the franchise in 2016.
