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what happened to root sports

The short version: ROOT Sports as a brand has either been shut down or rebranded in most markets, and the last big remaining version, ROOT Sports Northwest, is being shuttered after the 2025 MLB season, with teams shifting to new TV/streaming setups instead.

What happened to ROOT Sports?

1. The big picture

  • Most ROOT Sports channels outside the Pacific Northwest were rebranded years ago as AT &T SportsNet, so “ROOT Sports” quietly disappeared in those regions.
  • The last major holdout was ROOT Sports Northwest , home of the Seattle Mariners (and formerly the Portland Trail Blazers and other regional content).
  • In late 2025, the Mariners announced they would shut down ROOT Sports Northwest at the end of the 2025 season and move all TV and streaming to Major League Baseball’s in‑house local media operation starting in 2026.

So if you’re asking “what happened to ROOT Sports?” the answer depends on where you are and when you last watched:

  • In many markets: it turned into AT &T SportsNet years ago.
  • In the Pacific Northwest: it’s being fully shut down after the 2025 MLB regular season , with Mariners broadcasts moving to MLB’s system.

2. What exactly is changing in 2025–2026?

Mariners and ROOT Sports Northwest

  • The Seattle Mariners took full ownership of ROOT Sports in 2023, buying out Warner Bros. Discovery’s stake.
  • In September 2025, the team announced that ROOT Sports Northwest will go dark after the 2025 regular season.
  • The last live Mariners game on ROOT is the final regular‑season game of 2025; the network’s last overall broadcasts then wrap by the end of the year.
  • Starting in 2026:
    • MLB’s Local Media division will handle production and distribution of Mariners games, both on linear TV and streaming.
* MLB has said cable viewers will still see games on a **dedicated channel** , while streaming moves to **MLB.TV with relaxed blackout rules** for that territory.

Behind the scenes, this is part of MLB’s broader push to bring more local broadcasts in‑house after the regional sports network (RSN) business model started collapsing.

3. Other teams and markets that used ROOT

ROOT Sports used to be a small RSN “family,” so what happened there?

  • Other ROOT regions (Rockies, Astros, Pirates, etc.) were rebranded as AT &T SportsNet in 2017, keeping similar programming but under the new AT&T SportsNet name.
  • Over time, those AT&T SportsNet channels faced the same RSN headwinds (cord‑cutting, expensive rights deals) and began going through sales, shutdowns, or transitions, often with teams and leagues stepping in—similar to what MLB is now doing with the Mariners.
  • In the Pacific Northwest, ROOT also lost the Portland Trail Blazers ; the Blazers moved away from ROOT to a new over‑the‑air partner, signaling trouble for the network even before the Mariners shutdown news.

So the ROOT brand didn’t just suddenly vanish—it slowly morphed into AT &T SportsNet in many places, then those channels faced financial and distribution pressure, leading to league or team takeovers.

4. Why is ROOT Sports shutting down?

A few big forces pushed this:

  1. Cord‑cutting and RSN decline
    • Traditional cable subscribers have dropped sharply, making the classic RSN model (high carriage fees, bundled into cable) much less profitable.
 * Some providers, like Comcast in the Northwest, pushed ROOT Sports to more expensive tiers, shrinking its reach and irritating fans.
  1. Shift to direct‑to‑consumer streaming
    • Fans want a simpler way to just pay for their team’s games without an entire cable bundle.
    • ROOT tried its own ROOT Sports Stream app at about $19.99/month , but reviews and uptake were mixed.
  1. MLB’s strategic pivot
    • MLB created MLB Local Media and already runs local broadcasts for teams like the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Guardians, and Twins.
 * The league’s goal is to slowly **bring all 30 teams under one local media umbrella** , reducing dependence on fragile RSNs.

 * The Mariners’ move is described as part of that trend, not just a one‑off decision.

In short: the economics of RSNs like ROOT stopped working, while streaming and league‑run distribution looked more sustainable.

5. What it means if you’re a fan

If you’re a Mariners / Pacific Northwest fan, here’s what “what happened to ROOT Sports” means in practical terms:

  • Through the end of 2025
    • You can still watch games on ROOT Sports Northwest via your existing cable/satellite provider.
* The ROOT Sports Stream app may still operate for part of 2025, but it’s essentially a short‑term bridge.
  • Starting with the 2026 season (per current public info)
    • TV: Games should be on a Mariners‑branded or MLB‑managed channel in your regional cable lineup, but not under the ROOT name.
* Streaming: Games will be on **MLB.TV** , with MLB indicating fewer or no blackouts in the Mariners’ home territory compared to the old RSN setup.

If you’re remembering ROOT from some other team in another state, you likely saw it:

  • Already rebranded to AT &T SportsNet years ago.
  • Or superseded by newer deals and league‑run distribution as the RSN landscape keeps shifting.

6. Mini “forum‑style” recap

“Did ROOT Sports shut down or just change its name?”

  • In a lot of places, it changed names to AT &T SportsNet.
  • In the Pacific Northwest, it’s now actually shutting down after 2025, and MLB will carry Mariners games from 2026 on.

“Why does every RSN seem to be dying?”

  • Cord‑cutting, high rights fees, messy blackout rules, and fans wanting simpler streaming options all hit at once, and leagues like MLB are stepping in to stabilize things.

TL;DR: ROOT Sports mostly got rebranded as AT&T SportsNet years back, and the last major holdout, ROOT Sports Northwest, is being fully shut down after the 2025 Mariners season, with MLB’s own local media arm taking over cable and streaming broadcasts from 2026 onward.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.