The Washington Nationals have taken legal action to confirm a decision that would require the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network to pay the team an average of more than $64 million per year in TV rights fees for 2022 to 2026.

In court documents filed Monday, Nationals attorney Patrick Curran asked New York Supreme Court Justice Andrew Borrok to certify a decision made by the Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee of Major League Baseball that the fair market value of the broadcast rights was over $320.49 million.

The committee met May 20 in New York to hear the dispute. Right now, the group is composed of Mark Attanasio, chairman and principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers; Dick Monfort, owner, chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies; and Tom Werner, chairman of the Boston Red Sox.

Here’s how the TV rights break down each year:

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

  • 2022: $72.84 million
  • 2023: $72.84 million
  • 2024: $58.27 million
  • 2025: $58.27 million
  • 2026: $58.27 million

Read previous coverage about the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network

In 2002, MLB bought the Montreal Expos and later announced plans to relocate the team to Washington. The owner of the Orioles at the time, Peter Angelos, opposed the move.

MLB reached a settlement with the Orioles in 2005 to resolve several issues with putting another team less than 40 miles away.

Under the agreement, MASN would exclusively broadcast most O’s and Nats games and pay each team the same amount every year in TV rights fees.

The Orioles would initially own a 90% stake in MASN and reap most of the profits.

Meanwhile, the Nationals would at first own 10%. But, starting in 2010, their stake would increase 1 percentage point each year until it reached 33% in 2032.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Starting after 2011, the parties were required to negotiate the TV rights fees in five-year increments. The Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee would resolve any disputes.

A dispute about the TV rights fees for 2012 to 2016 lasted almost a decade and reached the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

In 2023, the Nationals, Orioles and MASN asked a judge to confirm a decision by the Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee about the fair market value of the broadcast rights for 2017 to 2021. They were more than $304.09 million — after adjusting for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nationals declined to comment. The Orioles did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to figures from S&P Global Market Intelligence, the number of MASN subscribers dropped from 5.6 million in 2018 to 3.3 million in 2023.