The Atlanta Braves feel like they made the right move in going on its own for televising its regular season ball games.
After the demise of its former broadcast partner, FanDuel Sports Networks, the Braves launched BravesVision last March during the current baseball season. The regional sports network is the overall media hub for bringing Braves games to viewers.
The Braves had options, like teaming up with MLB and their TV operations, or handing over the local broadcasting decisions to a third-party media company, but the Braves ultimately invested in starting their own RSN. The endeavor is only a few months old, but the team appears satisfied with their call.
“The economics right now support our decision,” Braves team president and CEO Derek Schiller told Front Office Sports in a late April interview. “A month into this, we can safely say we have made the right decision, not just for the Atlanta Braves and the business of the Braves, but also our fans. We believe we’re not only economically viable, but we’re maximizing that [opportunity], which we would equate to where we were previously, maybe even beating that. We’re also reaching more fans.”
He said that BravesVision’s financial returns are on track to surpass the revenue generated when they worked with FanDuel. No exact number has been provided as to how many subscribers BravesVision currently has.
Fans seem to like the service; however. On social media, many have given high marks for the broadcast quality and accessibility of the product. The games also seem easier to find with the new service. There are no game blackouts, and as of posting, only one provider, YouTube TV, lacks access to BravesVision. It also has an over-the-air deal with Gray Media, which owns local TV stations WANF and WPCH, to bring the games to even more fans.
Another sign of BravesVision’s upward progress is that it’s adding to its on-air staff.
Sports journalist Emily Wisniewski has joined BravesVision as a studio host at the streamer on a freelance basis. The contributor for the local Atlanta sports website, The Nest ATL, previously worked locally for WAGA Fox 5 as an intern in 2024. The graduate of the University of Georgia worked as a weekend sports anchor/reporter at KAMC and KLBK in Lubbock, Texas, as a weekend sports anchor and reporter, and as a sideline reporter at ESPN+.
The Braves are not alone in this endeavor. It is getting help from Raycom Sports (a part of Gray Media), which provides production assistance, while parent company Gray handles advertising sales, as well as the use of a studio at the facilities of WANF/WPCH in Midtown Atlanta. Gray also broadcasts 25 Braves regular-season games to several of its owned TV stations in the southeast U.S., including its Atlanta stations.
The broadcast team for BravesVision is the same as with its former FanDuel broadcasts: commentators Brandon Gaudin, C.J. Nitkowski, with studio coverage from Peter Moylan, Nick Green, and Charlie Culberson.
Photo credit: TarheelBornBred, CC0
