When NBC Sports Washington is officially rebranded by new owner Monumental Sports & Entertainment, one team won’t be along for the ride.
Per the Sports Business Journal, Washington Commanders programming will be leaving the network when their rights deal expires in April. Both parties attempted to negotiate a new deal, but nothing came of those discussions.
The network has been the team’s cable home for years, airing preseason games along with the NBC’s owned and operated affiliate in DC, WRC-TV.
The rebranded RSN is expected to heavily feature teams from the Monumental stable. Along with the Capitals and Wizards, that includes the WNBA’s Mystics, the Go-Go of the G-League, and NBA 2K League outfit Wizards Gaming District.
I don’t think the team or its fanbase will be damaged all that much by losing NBC Sports Washington as an outlet, given the other deals it has with local networks. Losing the rights and potential studio programming might hurt the network a bit, but it makes all the sense in the world to focus more on teams under the Monumental umbrella.