With Major League Baseball’s return on Thursday came welcome additions to the channel lineups of AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now subscribers.
AT&T has added six RSNs to its portfolio of networks, available on the Max package on AT&T TV Now and on the Choice package on AT&T TV. Those RSNs, available only in local markets, include the following, some of which should raise some eyebrows.
- New England Sports Network (NESN)
- Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN)
- AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
- AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain
- Root Sports Northwest
MASN, AT&T Pittsburgh, AT&T Rocky Mountain, and Root Sports Northwest have never been available on any streaming service, per The Streamable, making their inclusion particularly noteworthy. NESN is available on both fuboTV and YouTube TV, while AT&T SportsNet Southwest is available on fubo, so viewers in those markets had a non-cable option if they wanted to watch their local teams (the Bruins and Red Sox air on NESN, while the Rockets and Astros air on AT&T SportsNet Southwest).
It’s great that fans in Pittsburgh, Denver, Seattle, and the Baltimore/DC region finally have access to their local teams without a cable or satellite subscription, but AT&T’s streaming services aren’t exactly a bargain. The Max package of AT&T TV Now runs $80/month, more than competitors YouTube TV, Hulu Live, fuboTV, and Sling. The AT&T TV Choice package is $64.99/month, but there are plenty of other one-time and recurring fees attached.
With more streaming services cutting their carriage of local sports networks, it’s somewhat refreshing to see one company adding networks that its competitors don’t. I’d be somewhat surprised if we saw these six RSNs increase their carriage on other services, but at least the dam holding four of them back from being carried on any service has been broken.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.