Braves’ Bold Move: What Their New TV Network Could Mean for the Future of Sports Broadcasting

On Monday, word slipped out that the Atlanta Braves stood apart from the pack — unlike the Brewers, Cardinals, Rays, Reds, and Royals, they didn’t jump onboard MLB Media for their televised games. Alongside the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels, the Braves chose a different path, leaving fans scratching their heads about the why. Now, the mystery unravels: the Braves reportedly plan to debut their very own TV network. Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal has the scoop, painting a clear picture of how the Braves, along with eight other clubs, are reshaping their broadcast future. The approach? Potentially launching a network that might stream nationally via platforms like Amazon or Apple, modeled after the Texas Rangers Sports Network — a hybrid of cable, satellite, local over-the-air partnerships, and streaming outlets like Victory+. This strategy promises fans in the Southeastern region comprehensive access while offering streaming convenience to viewers beyond the traditional market. For Braves followers, this marks a significant pivot away from traditional regional sports networks and a bold leap into self-produced broadcasting, capturing both nostalgia and innovation in one sweep. While details like exact timing and distribution remain fuzzy, the move signals a fresh frontier for Braves TV coverage — different and promising. LEARN MORE

Earlier on Monday, we got word that the Atlanta Braves were one of three teams (alongside the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels) that didn’t decide to follow the Brewers, Cardinals, Rays, Reds and Royals to MLB Media as far as their televised games are concerned.

Well, now we know why the Braves didn’t join that pack of ballclubs when it came to making that jump. As it turns out, the Braves are reportedly about to launch their own TV network. Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal is reporting that this is the path that the Braves are going to go down. He laid it out pretty clearly in his article detailing what the Braves and the eight other clubs are planning to do with their TV coverage going forward.

…The Braves are expected to launch their own network, perhaps to air on a national streaming platform such as Amazon or Apple or with a template similar to the Rangers Sports Network — which has direct-to-distributor deals with cable and satellite providers, a local over-the-air partner and a streaming outlet in Victory+.

In case you’re wondering, here’s a link to the Rangers Sports Network’s programming page. The way it works for them is that the Texas Rangers have their own platform where they can reach fans through either cable and/or satellite, over the air, and even streaming as well. The cable/satellite and OTA options would be available for fans across the Braves TV market (which is essentially the vast majority of the entire Southeastern region of the United States) and the streaming option would give fans from outside of the market a way to watch the team as well — and in Atlanta’s case, the options of Amazon Prime and Apple TV would be very appealing.

The Braves were already available to watch locally via streaming platforms on Amazon Prime if you chose to buy a subscription to FanDuel Sports Network through that platform for $19.99 a month. Id imagine that if this is what the Braves do then they’d simply transition to that platform while staying on Amazon Prime, so I can’t anticipate that this would be a major change for fans who have already been watching the Braves via streaming platforms.

However, this would be a pretty big change for the TV side of things, since this would essentially be a brand-new frontier for the Braves in terms of TV. They’ve been part of the RSN model since their days of being broadcast nationwide on cable via the TBS Superstation (a.k.a the good ol’ days) and now it’s apparent that the team has decided that the future involves doing their own in-house production and televising of their own product.

Either way, it’s clear that the Braves are going to be out of the RSN TV business if this is the path that they’re going down. There’s still no guarantees yet when it comes to figuring out a permanent TV home for the Braves but as of right now, we’re closer to figuring that out now than we have been in the past. We’ll see what happens!