Angels MLB Team Ditches Failing Model for MLB-Powered DTC Streaming

The Los Angeles Angels are launching Angels.TV, a new direct-to-consumer streaming service, to escape the implosion of their regional sports network partner. The move, made in partnership with Major League Baseball, finally kills the dreaded local blackout for fans in the team's home territory.

• The price of admission: For $100 a year or $20 a month, fans get a blackout-free season, a model MLB is now providing for 20 teams left stranded by the RSN model's failure. "MLB’s in-market streaming option allows us to remove a point of friction for the fans," said MLB Deputy Commissioner Noah Garden in a press release.

• Not the final inning: The deal is reportedly a stopgap, not a final destination, according to the Sports Business Journal. A team-owned linear network remains a future goal, with talk of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings eventually coming aboard, but fans on traditional cable are still left in a holding pattern.

The Angels solved their immediate streaming crisis by leaning on the league, but the move highlights the messy, ongoing fragmentation of sports media and leaves traditional cable viewers waiting on the bench. But while the Angels opted for MLB's solution, other teams like the Atlanta Braves are still contemplating their own RSNs. The league's broader streaming strategy also includes a major partnership with ESPN for its out-of-market package, and in the wider world of sports, the Big Ten is urging the NCAA to limit prop betting on college athletics.