MASN agrees to payment in dispute over Nationals-Orioles TV rights, AP source says

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network has agreed to pay the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles around $100 million each following a protracted dispute over the value of the Nationals’ television rights from 2012 to 2016, a person familiar with the matter said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team had made an announcement. The Washington Post first reported the settlement, which removes one hurdle in the Lerner family’s efforts to potentially sell the Nationals franchise. When MLB purchased the Montreal Expos and moved them to Washington in 2005, the Orioles said another team nearby would harm them financially. MLB and the two teams negotiated an agreement under which MASN would televise both teams’ games, with the teams receiving equal rights fees.