With the regional sports network business in flux, one team is still without a linear television partner for the upcoming season.
The Cleveland Guardians, who begin their season this Thursday against the Kansas City Royals, still have no agreement in place for their television broadcasts. The Guardians are one of five MLB teams whose broadcast rights are controlled by the league. As such, Guardians fans living in the Cleveland market can purchase a streaming package to watch games for $99.99 per season or $19.99 per month.
However, teams that have ceded broadcast rights to the league are also expected to have a linear television presence. So far, the Guardians have none.
According to a report by Joe Noga of cleveland.com, “The Guardians say they expect MLB to reach carriage agreements with their cable television partners consistent with where fans found games in 2024, but the timing of those agreements could come down to the wire as Thursday’s matchup against Kansas City approaches.”
Last season, Guardians games were carried by FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports). Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports Group), the owner of the FanDuel RSNs, cut ties with the Guardians late last year after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“As soon as we have finalized agreements, we will announce via email and social channels,” Curtis Danburg, Guardians Vice President, Communications & Community Impact, told cleveland.com.
Between the reporting and the statement from a Guardians official, it seems certain that the team will have a deal in place come Thursday that looks similar to what fans experienced last season. That could even mean games will end up right back on FanDuel Sports Network, and on the same cable and satellite distributors that carried the network last year.
But the timing of this deal has certainly made for some unnecessary angst if you’re a Guardians fan. Perhaps the team is trying to push fans towards its direct-to-consumer streaming option.
Whatever the case, Cleveland Guardians fans remain in a state of limbo with the season just two days away.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.