The Seattle Mariners are in the midst of a fantastic season, winning the American League West for the first time since 2001. While the future looks bright for the Major League Baseball franchise, there won’t be a future for their current broadcasting home.
The Mariners announced Friday that, starting next season, MLB will take over the distribution of their game telecasts and streaming, and they will shutter the Root Sports regional sports network.
Broadcasts will shift to MLB Local Media in 2026, where they will join the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Guardians, and Minnesota Twins, all of whose games are currently distributed in this manner. This current season featured a hybrid partnership between Root and MLB.
The decision marks the end of a long run for Root, which launched in 1988 as Northwest Cable Sports. In 1989, it affiliated with Prime Sports Network and was rebranded Prime Sports Northwest. News Corporation and Liberty Media rebranded it as Fox Sports Northwest, then Fox Sports Net Northwest, and eventually FSN Northwest. In 2009, it was spun off under DirecTV and rebranded as Root Sports Northwest. In 2013, the Mariners acquired a controlling interest in the network and eventually bought it outright in 2023.
The biggest issue for the Mariners was how challenging it became for fans to find Root in recent years. Comcast moved it to a higher-priced tier, while a direct-to-consumer app became available only recently, costing $19.99/month. While Mariners games stream on MLB.tv, local blackouts still apply.
Mariners majority owner John Stanton noted in a 2024 interview that subscriber numbers had dropped from 3.3 million in 2014 to 1.2 million.
The Mariners and MLB said they will share further details about team broadcasts this offseason, but “there are not expected to be wholesale changes to the viewer experience.” However, more than 25 Root Sports staff members will be laid off, according to The Seattle Times.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.