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Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, an MLB-owned regional sports network franchising the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, has partnered with Columbia-based LTN in a move it believes will enable more cost-efficient delivery of game coverage.
Moving away from its traditional satellite format, MASN plans to deliver live coverage of every available game for the Orioles and Nationals – along with 24/7 sports programming – by migrating all of its into LTN’s purpose-built IP video network, according to a release.
The transition achieves a near-60% reduction in distribution costs and streamlining delivery across Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, digital platforms and MASN’s direct-to-consumer service, the network said.
Through the partnership, LTN enables MASN to deliver four variants of its MASN 1 and MASN 2 channels with satellite-grade reliability and localized ad insertion catered for the Baltimore-Washington markets. This effort drives cost efficiency, greater control and new monetization opportunities, according to MASN.
“Regional sports networks need to innovate faster than ever and moving to IP is a no-brainer for costs and flexibility,” MASN executive Ken Stiver said.
“We slashed our delivery costs by moving off satellite and now have full visibility into signal health across every part of our distribution chain. LTN made the entire transition very smooth and much easier than I thought it would be, working directly with all our partners to ensure there was zero disruption.”
LTN, a global telecommunications service provider, completed MASN’s satellite-IP replacement project in 60 days, which included hands-on project management and a dual-illumination phase.
MASN provides live game access across a seven-state region maximum, including pre- and post-game content, documentaries and archive programming, and additional professional and collegiate events annually – from basketball and football to horse racing, poker and combat sports.
“Sports networks want cost certainty while maintaining the high availability and low latency they are used to from satellite,” LTN chief revenue officer Bryan McGuirk said.