Washington Nationals fans who still can't receive the team's games on local television will have to wait for Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which has the rights to the Nats, to cut deals with cable and satellite companies.
"We are talking to everybody who will listen to us," MASN chief executive Bob Whitelaw said yesterday. "A deal with a satellite provider is being worked on as we speak. The events of the last week have slowed the process down."
Comcast Corp. last week filed suit against MASN, the Baltimore Orioles and Major League Baseball in an attempt to stop the fledgling MASN, which is co-owned by the Orioles and baseball, from televising the Baltimore club's games when its contract with Comcast expires after the 2006 season. Comcast's suit asks that the Orioles be prohibited from committing themselves to MASN, which is jointly owned by MLB and the Orioles, without first giving Comcast a chance to match the offer.
A total of 81 games are available over-the-air on WDCA-20 and WTTG-5.
MASN was on the verge of signing a deal with DirecTV last week when the Comcast lawsuit, filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, stopped the agreement in its tracks. Experts estimate that DirecTV has more than 400,000 customers in the Baltimore-Washington region. Spokesmen for MASN and Comcast said there have been no discussions since the suit was filed.
-- Thomas Heath
