For the first time in 64 years, fans of the Orioles will not be able to watch their team play on broadcast TV. That means the only way to watch the games will be primarily via the team-owned MASN or MASN2 cable channels. Some games could be broadcast on ESPN. Although no games are currently scheduled for this season, they could reach broadcast TV by way of a nationally-televised game.
Local CBS affiliate WJZ 13 broadcasted weekend games occasionally, airing 20 games last season including Opening Day. WJZ had been airing games for over 20 years. The Washington Nationals, whose games are also mostly broadcast on MASN and MASN2, find themselves in the same predicament with WUSA9 dropping their broadcast of games for 2018.
The Orioles, along with the Nats and Los Angeles Dodges, are the only teams in the MLB which have no option for in-market online streaming of games. It's frustrating for many fans who have become cord-cutters in recent years. MLB.tv, the league's streaming subscription service, also falls under a local blackout rule meaning fans will not be able to watch any Orioles/National games in the team's broadcast region which stretches from Harrisburg, PA, to West Virginia, to Charlotte, NC.
Source: Baltimore Sun
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