Monumental Sports Network to Air 7 Major League Cricket Matches This Summer; Will Other RSNs Add Cricket?

Apparently, the United States national cricket team’s victory against Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup earlier this month has created higher enthusiasm for the sport domestically. That’s the gamble Monumental Sports Network is taking, at any rate. The regional sports network (RSN) which serves fans in Washington, D.C., the DMV and parts of Pennsylvania has announced a new partnership with Willow by Cricbuzz to distribute a package of Major League Cricket matches featuring the Washington Freedom, beginning with a match on Saturday, July 6.

Monumental Sports is available on DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV.

Key Details:

• Monumental Sports Network’s coverage of Washington Freedom cricket will continue through July.
• Viewers can watch Monumental as part of a pay-TV subscription, or in-market with the Monumental Sports Network App.
• Major League Cricket matches are normally broadcast on Willow TV in the United States.

Monumental is partnering with Willow to offer seven Washington Freedom cricket matches, beginning on July 6 and continuing through July 22. The matches will join WNBA basketball contests from the Washington Mystics, though they won’t be available on Monumental long enough to air alongside NBA games from the Washington Wizards or NHL matchups featuring the Washington Capitals on the channel.

Check out Monumental’s schedule of Washington Freedom matches:

The presentations are being made in partnership with Willow, which carries all MLC matches on the Willow TV channel and Willow on-demand streaming platform. Chief operating officer of Willow Todd Myers specifically cited the U.S. national team’s victory at the T20 World Cup as an inciting factor for the partnership with Monumental.

“The unexpected success of the US national cricket team in the T20 World Cup has vividly shown us the untapped potential of cricket in America,” Myers said. “We are now at a pivotal turning point where we can leverage the country’s excitement and passion for the sport to build a broader, more engaged fan base nationwide. Our partnership with Monumental Sports Network is key in this transformative era, bringing premier cricket directly to American viewers and giving them a hometown team, the Washington Freedom, to cheer for.”

“Washington Freedom matches are an electric addition to our summer programming lineup and further our commitment to all sports fans throughout the DMV,” added Caitlin Mangum, VP, Content & Programming at Monumental Sports Network. “Cricket is undergoing a surge of popularity in the U.S. and we’re excited for a new audience to get exposure to the plethora of live, local sports programming on our air.”

Will Other RSNs Try to Add Live Cricket Rights?

The addition of live cricket matches based off what’s likely a temporary ratings boost for the sport thanks to a single World Cup victory from Team USA may seem like a bit of an overreaction to some. But with the cost of marquee sports rights climbing inexorably, providers are looking for any way to bring new content to their airwaves without paying extreme amounts to get it.

That could lead more RSNs to add small cricket packages of their own in the near future. Major League Cricket only has six teams at the moment, but some are stationed in cities like Los Angeles and New York where viewers have access to SportsNet-branded RSNs. I don’t think any cricket teams playing in areas where a Bally Sports channel is the dominant RSN will see a new deal with Willow to distribute games in the near future; Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally Sports channels, has enough problems with the partner leagues it currently has at the moment.

Viewers can find Monumental Sports Network on Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM or YouTube TV. The channel was formerly available on Fubo as well, but a carriage dispute caused Monumental to be pulled from Fubo’s airwaves earlier in June. Fans living in the broadcast area of Monumental Sports Network can sign up with the Monumental Sports Network App and skip a pay-TV subscription to stream the channel and all of its content for $19.99 per month.