SEATTLE — This season, it is more expensive for some fans to watch Seattle Mariners games. It has also become increasingly complicated to watch every Mariners game with all of the various services required in Major League Baseball (MLB).
It can feel like the shell game at the ballpark, as fans need access to ROOT Sports, Apple TV+ and multiple cable channels to watch every single Mariners game.
It works out to a minimum of $100 a month to have access to every Mariners game this season.
Xfinity moved the regional sports network ROOT Sports Northwest to its ultimate TV package last October. ROOT handles broadcasts for the Mariners, Seattle Kraken and Portland Trail Blazers games. The move to the new package means an $18.50 increase on top of the regular cost of cable.
"My cable bill’s certainly gone up," Mariners fan Jason Hauge said.
Some fans, like Jason, are sticking with Xfinity because they want to ensure they can watch as many games as possible.
He’s watched Mariners games for 40 years. His earliest memories include listening to Dave Niehaus on the radio and catching some of the team's first TV broadcasts.
However, for the first time, the added costs have made him consider changing his viewing habits.
"[It’s a] dilemma. Something I'm really going to have to think about," Hauge said.
The prices have sent some fans to leave cable for Fubo, the streaming service that costs $80 a month includes ROOT sports. However, Fubo doesn’t have TBS, which broadcasts some postseason and regular season games.
"80% of the games now in baseball are broadcast on regional sports networks, and that's changing very rapidly," Director of Sports Enterprise Management at the University of Washington Stan Emert said.
Emert said more consumers cutting the cord changes how fans watch their favorite teams. He thinks the Mariners are in a strong position because they now own their regional sports network, ROOT, unlike most MLB teams.
“The bad part of course is they've assumed all the risk. The good part is that they control their own destiny," Emert said. "I think the Mariners are actually in a really good position, but it’s going to take a couple years to transition from cable to online."
The Mariners bought a majority stake in ROOT Sports in 2013. Owner John Stanton said there were about 3.3 million subscribers in 2014. This season there are 1.2 million.
Stanton told KING 5 the organization knows fans are looking for new ways to watch games.
"It's not just which way we go. It's how many ways we can give people the opportunity to consume, and we're working through that," Stanton said.
Emert said the uncertainty is causing teams like the Mariners to be cautious in their spending. He said some are holding off on handing big contracts to players before new TV deals are ironed out.
"When salaries started to escalate that was because the money regional sports networks was putting into it,” Emert said. “So this is going to have a large effect on how baseball is operated."
The uncertainty leaves fans like Jason waiting for what could be next.
“If there's other options out there, I’ll definitely want to take advantage of them," the Mariners fan said.
The Mariners said the top priority is making games accessible to fans. A spokesperson said they are still finding new ways to deliver games in the future, so fans can watch how and where they want.
Current Xfinity customers can upgrade to the Ultimate TV package for $5 more a month for 6 months. That offer is valid through April 21, according to Xfinity.