Texas Rangers See Significant Viewership Increase with In-House Broadcasts
The Texas Rangers are reporting a substantial increase in local television viewership after their first year operating Rangers Sports Network (RSN), a new regional sports network launched by the team.
According to Nielsen data for the Dallas-Fort Worth market provided by the team, RSN averaged 36,443 households delivered, a 37% increase compared to the 2024 season average on FanDuel Sports Network. The network also achieved a 1.1 household rating, up 31% year-over-year from FanDuel. Streaming on Victory+, a seasonal pass costing $100 with early sign-up, averaged 100,852 viewers per game across a five-state territory including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Eastern New Mexico. This move to in-house broadcasting came as many MLB teams grapple with declining revenue from traditional regional sports networks.
“It was the best decision we could make even as this market has changed and things have fluctuated,” said Rangers SVP/Broadcasting Angie Swint yesterday. “It is still the best decision that we could have made… We’re very fortunate that Rangers fans came with us in this process.” The Rangers opted to create Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company rather than renew with Main Street Sports Group/FanDuel Sports Network or fall under MLB’s TV umbrella, a decision that saw Neil Leibman transition from team president of business operations to chairman of the new company. For context, the shift towards teams controlling their broadcast rights is a growing trend in professional sports, as detailed by Sportico.
While annual rights fees previously reached around $110 million with Main Street (then Diamond), and dropped to approximately $90 million in 2024, team officials expressed optimism about the long-term benefits of the new model. “The first year of Rangers Sports Network exceeded our expectations as far as viewership and production quality,” Leibman stated in a release. “The ratings and engagement data confirm that more people were watching Rangers games than we have experienced for years.” The team is now focused on refining the broadcast experience, with plans to update the graphics package for the upcoming season, as reported on the official MLB website.
