Seattle Mariners Pull the Plug on ROOT Sports Northwest Today

ROOT Sports Northwest airs its final game today. The Seattle Mariners own the channel, which was once also the home to the Seattle Kraken and Portland Trail Blazers.

Recently, the channel also hosted Utah Jazz games for viewers in the Pacific Northwest.

The Mariners released this statement Friday:

“We continue to focus on finding new ways to bring our games in 2026 and beyond to our fans and we’ve determined joining with Major League Baseball is the best path. Beginning in 2026 and moving forward, Major League Baseball will provide opportunities to bring new features and benefits to viewers of Mariners baseball.

“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and excellence demonstrated by the ROOT SPORTS staff over the (nearly) four decades they have televised our games.”

The Mariners will follow in the footsteps of other MLB teams that farm out their regional broadcasts through MLB.TV: the Twins, Guardians, Padres, Rockies, and Diamondbacks.

According to the Seattle Times, the Mariners were the only team to own 100% of its RSN.

The regional sports landscape has been in upheaval over the last few years as channels have changed owners, some teams have chosen to air their games free over-the-air, and more team-specific streamers have emerged.

This rat’s nest of sports rights could be resolved in the next few years. ESPN’s president coyly mentioned that “Local (MLB rights are) super interesting to us.”

The biggest player in the RSN space remains FanDuel Sports Network, which has an assortment of MLB, NHL, and NBA rights. Thanks to its partnership with Prime Video, FanDuel estimates it may hit 1 million subscribers by the end of this year.