Eligible freelancers at regional sports networks will be able to receive an immediate $2,500 interest-free advance beginning on Friday, April 3. The fund is being launched in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has indefinitely halted the production of live sports, depriving these freelancers of work.
AT&T CFO John Stephens on Tuesday told an investors conference that an auction to sell four regional sports networks to reduce overall debt is nearing a possible buyer and conclusion. “We have had on the market our regional sport networks and we’re looking at the potential for those,” Stephens said.
Sinclair Broadcast Group said it reached an agreement with YouTube TV to carry 19 of its 21 regional sports networks. Sinclair, which acquired the Fox Regional Sports Network from the Walt Disney Co., last year, said Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West will no longer be carried on YouTube TV effective Thursday.
A day after announcing it would drop Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional sports networks, YouTube TV said last Friday night that it agreed to a temporary extension and that negotiations continue.
Exclusives
AT&T’s auction to sell four regional sports networks appears to be faltering — the latest sign that the business of airing local sports is in trouble as Americans continue to cut their ties with cable. The wireless giant has received multiple bids for its group of four sports channels covering markets around Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh and Houston — but all of them came in around or below $500 million for the lot, significantly short of expectations estimated to be around $1 billion.
Video streaming service Deltatre is nearing a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group to be the digital video provider for the 21 regional sports networks that the broadcaster bought last year from Walt Disney Co., according to two people familiar with the talks.
Marquee Sports Network, the new channel being launched Feb 22 by the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, took a big step by making a carriage deal to be streamed as part of the Hulu+ Live TV lineup. It is Marquee’s first over-the-top deal with a virtual MVPD, which is important because it means Cubs fans can watch games if they cut the cord.
TVN’s New Facilities Insider | NBCU Takes The IP Plunge In Boston
The massive NBCUniversal Boston Media Center in Needham, Mass., houses the company’s NBC and Telemundo stations plus regional cable news and sports networks in a new $125 million, 160,000-square foot headquarters. “It’s a complete game-changer,” says one GM of the greenfield build.
Comcast Tries To Squash Antitrust Lawsuit
Comcast has moved to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit filed by Altitude TV by shooting down claims that the cable operator has refused to deal with the Denver-based regional sports network and that the cable op has a monopolistic pay-TV position in the market.
Regional sports networks are facing rising costs and competition from newer streaming services as part of a new era in the way Americans watch TV.
The Baltimore Orioles and Nationals jointly own MASN and have been fighting in court for years. A proposed judgment was submitted Friday in New York Supreme Court. The court in August upheld an April 15 decision by a Major League Baseball arbitration panel.
Chris Wayland New NBC Sports Boston GM
He adds the duties at the sports network of the Boston Celtics while remaining station manager of NBCU’s WBTS, WNEU and NECN there.
Regional sports network Altitude has reached a new carriage deal with AT&T’s DirecTV, ending a two-month blackout. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Jason Goff Joins NBC Sports Chicago On Bulls Coverage
Sinclair acquired a 20% interest in the New York-based regional sports network and is responsible for its distribution on cable, satellite and digital platforms. Amazon and the New York Yankees were also in the buying consortium. Sinclair’s interest is valued at $347 million, while the network is valued at $3.47 billion, according to Sinclair.
Regional cable network NBC Sports Washington will continue to offer a traditional telecast on its main channel, while the gambling-focused telecasts of four preseason games will air simultaneously on its secondary channel, NBC Sports Washington Plus.
Home Team Sports Carries Winning RSN Record
The unit of Fox that for more than a decade has sold the national inventory for all the nation’s major RSNs — including soon-to-be owner Sinclair — is a favorite not only of RSNs, but also of sports-minded media agencies because it’s a one-stop shop, allowing them to easily buy major professional and college on a national basis.
White Sox Ratings At 7-Year High On NBC Sports Chicago
In connection with its $9.6 billion pending and previously announced acquisition of a regional sports networks business from The Walt Disney Co., Sinclair Broadcast Group announced today that its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Diamond Sports Group, intends to raise $3.3 billion of term B loans due 2026. Diamond Sports Intermediate Holdings, Diamond’s direct parent, will initially […]
AT&T Inc. is weighing a sale of its regional sports networks as part of a plan to cut as much as $8 billion in debt by the end of the year, according to people familiar with the matter. Sinclair Broadcast Group, which agreed in May to buy 21 Fox regional sports networks from Disney for $9.6 billion, could be among the potential buyers, the people said.
MASN Channels Gone From RCN In Dispute
A trio of Democratic Senators/presidential candidates — Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders — has asked both the FCC and Justice Department to take a hard look at Sinclair’s purchase of Disney’s (formerly Fox’s) 21 regional sports networks (RSNs), saying they are worried both about Sinclaircombining the RSNs with its TV stations to raise the price of carriage for the latter, and about the “danger” of Sinclair’s “partisan political” programming getting a wider audience.
MSG Networks, a regional sports and entertainment network serving the largest media market in the United States, is using the Video Call Center’s (VCC) video-caller based platform to support the production of its newest weeknight sports talk show, MSG 150. By using a smartphone and the VCC’s efficient, high-quality live video connections, MSG Networks has […]
Former MSG exec Michael McCarthy is tapped to be general manager of Marquee Sports Network, set to launch in February 2020.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has set July 12 for oral arguments in the long-running dispute between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles over money from the cable channel they jointly own, Supreme Court Justice Joel M. Cohen on Friday accepted the schedule proposed by the teams. Washington wants Cohen to confirm […]
Sports TV Bubble Shows Signs Of Weakness
Sinclair’s deal to buy the former Fox regional sports networks values them at less than expected.
Jessell | Forget Tribune. Sinclair Keeps Moving Forward
There may be a big silver lining to Sinclair’s loss of its proposed merger with Tribune. In its wake the group has shifted its strategy from TV station acquisition to nonbroadcast ventures like regional sports networks, OTT services and possibly some kind of national news service. And it’s continuing to lead the way toward ATSC 3.0, which it is convinced will multiply the value of broadcast spots through targeting, and enable lucrative new businesses like datacasting.
Byron Allen becomes an equity and content partner in the new RSN holding company, Diamond Sports Group. The RSNs includes exclusive local rights to 42 professional teams consisting of 14 Major League Baseball teams, 16 National Basketball Association teams, and 12 National Hockey League teams.
Disney’s sale of 21 regional sports networks is heating up yet again — thanks to comedian-turned-media mogul Byron Allen jumping into the already crowded and contentious race. Allen, 58, is joining forces with Sinclair Broadcast Group to bid on the RSNs.
