The Seattle Mariners and Fox Sports Northwest are on the verge of a 10-year extension, worth an estimated $300 million in rights fees. The length and amount of money involved in the deal would make it one of the most lucrative deals for any US pro sports team and a cable network on a regional basis.

While the Seattle Mariners have faltered in the standings the last three years, the club enjoys strong cable ratings posting a 6.5 in 2006, which ranked fifth among baseball local markets. In 2005, a 6.3 rating was fourth. In 2004, a 7.8 ranked third. For three years before that, the Mariners were No. 1 among all major league local markets. As reported by the Seattle P-I:

The numbers and timing were somewhat surprising. Not only have the Mariners been on a three-year slide on the field, pro sports franchises in the past preferred shorter deals to take advantage of better fortunes and changes in the sports and broadcast marketplaces.

The trend is changing in Major League Baseball. The Mariners, whose ownership reportedly had a large debate on the proposed deal, chose to do what several other teams have done -- take a more conservative course of long-term stability with an early lockup.

As further reported:

The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue market for TV households is ranked 14th largest in the nation. But FSN reaches far beyond central Puget Sound. With cable channels throughout the state, as well as Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Canada, Fox claims to reach 3.4 million homes in baseball's largest market geographically.

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