Credit: Monumental Sports Network
WASHINGTON — Families across Southern Maryland are having to hunt harder than ever to find local sports coverage of the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics after Monumental Sports Network (MSN) was dropped from YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV on Sept. 30.
The blackout came just as the Washington Capitals and Wizards were starting their preseason schedules, cutting off regional broadcasts on two of the most widely used streaming platforms. While nationally televised games on ESPN, ABC, TNT and other networks remain available, many cord-cutters who relied on YouTube TV or Hulu as their primary source for both local and national sports are suddenly left scrambling.
Why The Channels Were Dropped
Both streaming distributors say Monumental’s carriage fees were too high for a regional sports channel with limited national reach. YouTube TV has told subscribers it wants to keep its prices from rising and no longer wants to pay for channels it considers niche. Disney’s Hulu + Live TV followed suit.
Monumental disputes that explanation, saying it had already cut its price proposals significantly to stay on the platforms.
Screenshot from keepmonumentalsports.com
Monumental’s Response To The Blackout
Monumental leaders say they tried to avoid the blackout but couldn’t get the streaming platforms to engage.
In a video message last week, Zachary Leonsis, president of Media & New Enterprises for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, said the network had “sent written proposals that include significant economic concessions” but received “zero engagement” from either company.
“Despite our continued attempts to reach an agreement … we continue to receive zero engagement from both YouTube TV, Google, and Disney Hulu Plus Live TV,” Leonsis said. “It just seems fundamentally unfair that these big companies could have a unilateral opportunity to dictate how people watch, where they watch, and how much they pay for local sports. … We’ve significantly reduced our economic proposal to stay on air. This is about, for these distributors, control and how they want local fans to watch sports in the future.”
Leonsis added the dispute “is not about ratings — we have strong ratings — it’s about control,” and urged fans to push the platforms to reinstate Monumental by visiting keepmonumentalsports.com.
Finding The Games Now
The blackout lands just as the region’s two major winter teams take the ice and court. The Washington Capitals open the NHL regular season on Oct. 8, 2025, at home against the Boston Bruins, while the Washington Wizards tip off their NBA season on Oct. 22, 2025, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
On social media, many fans say the changes have left them frustrated and reconsidering how they watch sports. Some pointed out that their cable provider recently moved Monumental Sports to a higher-priced package, while others said they dropped their bundles altogether, deciding it no longer made sense to pay more just to keep a single regional channel.
To keep watching local games, fans can subscribe to Monumental+ through its website or app stores, or access the channel via pay-TV providers such as DirecTV Stream, Verizon, Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox and Antietam Broadband. These options still provide coverage of Capitals, Wizards and Mystics games but often mean adding yet another subscription or switching services — a growing source of frustration for viewers who just want one simple place to follow their teams.
More information is available at keepmonumentalsports.com.
A Facebook statement from Monumental Sports Network’s General Manager, Friday Abernethy.
Got a tip or photo? Text us at 888-871-NEWS (6397) or email news@thebaynet.com.
Join The BayNet Membership for exclusive perks and zero ads.
Don’t miss a story—sign up for our newsletter!
Related