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☆ Phoenix Suns and Mercury to move games from cable to local network and streaming
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A general view during the second half in Game Two of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns at Phoenix Suns Arena on July 08, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The NBA's Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury reached a deal with broadcast station owner Gray Television to air the entirety of their regular seasons on local broadcast networks available throughout Arizona. Regular season games for the Suns were previously available on Diamond Sports' Bally Sports Arizona channel. Bally Sports Arizona also airs the NHL's Arizona Coyotes and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks regular season games. Overall, Gray and Kiswe will carry the Suns games for five years, while the deal with three-time WNBA champion Mercury runs for two years.

☆ NBA's Phoenix Suns sign new TV deal after broadcaster bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Apr 18, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) with guard Devin Booker (1) against the Los Angeles Clippers during game two of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsApril 28 (Reuters) - The NBA's Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury announced a new television and streaming rights deal for their basketball games on Friday, over the objection of the bankrupt U.S. sports broadcaster that currently televises Suns regular-season games. "Cord cutters, cable subscribers, fans with an antenna – everyone will be able to watch Suns and Mercury games," Ishbia said in a statement. The Phoenix Suns current television broadcast partner Diamond Sports Group said it would oppose the deal. The Suns and Mercury did not disclose financial terms of the new broadcast deal or the terms of the current Diamond Sports contract.

☆ Want to watch MLB games? Making sense of the confusing TV and streaming landscape
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Home base planFor the baseball fan looking to watch as many games as possible, a traditional pay TV service is still the go-to place. Discovery' s TBS, as well as Fox Corp. 's broadcast and pay TV networks, take up a decent chunk of the schedule. However, as more options are introduced, regional sports networks are getting fewer games and fans have to pay more to watch all games. With a higher rate of consumers dropping pay TV bundles and opting for streaming services, many networks have created direct-to-consumer streaming app options. Few offset the pay TV losses, but at least provide an option for fans wanting to stream.

☆ YES Network launching streaming service to give non-cable viewers access to Yankees games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The YES Network is launching a direct-to-consumer streaming service, giving non-cable subscribers the ability to watch New York Yankees games. The YES Network will charge $24.99 per month, or $239.99 annually, according to an announcement. The YES Network broadcasts games for the Yankees, the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA's New York Liberty to fans that live in the greater New York area. "We are pleased to introduce a direct subscription option," said Yes Network CEO Jon Litner in a statement. The YES Network is co-owned by the Yankees and a corsortium of other investors including Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

☆ Diamond Sports, largest owner of regional sports networks, files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, toppled by a more than $8 billion debt load. Diamond, like other regional sports networks, has been focused on growing its streaming presence. As of Tuesday, Diamond said, it was still finalizing the restructuring support agreement with creditors. The plan could see Diamond separate from Sinclair to become a standalone operation, Diamond said. And, while Diamond obtained streaming rights for all of its NBA and NHL teams last year, it has been working on a team-by-team basis for MLB.

The fortunes of MLB players are tied to team revenues, and players are closely watching any changes to sports TV. Two of the largest regional sports broadcasters in the U.S. are on the verge of unraveling, an event that is expected to alter how professional teams are funded and how fans tune in to the games. Diamond Sports Group LLC , which carries the games of more than 40 major sports teams across the country on its Bally Sports-branded networks, is expected to file for bankruptcy in coming weeks, which people involved expect to lead to a renegotiation of rights fees—a significant part of teams’ revenue.

☆ ESPN wants to be the hub of all live sports streaming — even if it helps its competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney 's ESPN wants to be the hub for all live sports streaming — even for its competition. Still, ESPN has broached the idea to the major sports leagues and media companies to gauge their enthusiasm, the people said. If a customer already subscribes to a given service, ESPN would collect no money and just provide the link as a courtesy, people familiar with the matter said. ESPN may also alert users to games that air on linear TV, cementing its new role as the TV guide of live sports, the people said. Discovery has alerted leagues it plans to exit the RSN business altogether, according to The Wall Street Journal.

☆ MSG Networks to launch streaming service for Knicks, Rangers games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

MSG Networks, James Dolan's cable-TV channels that feature local New York and New Jersey professional sports games, is launching its own streaming service. MSG Networks also said it recently launched a free, ad-supported streaming TV, or FAST, channel called MSG SportsZone, which is available nationally on Vizio televisions and the Plex streaming platform. The FAST channel features MSG Networks' programming centered around sports betting and classic games. MSG+ will only be available in the region that already carries its MSG Networks on cable-TV. MSG Networks' new streaming service will also allow fans to purchase single game streaming feeds for $9.99 per game.

☆ MLB Commissioner says league is prepared to step in to broadcast games — and maybe even end blackouts — as Bally Sports heads toward bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is prepared to broadcast games itself if necessary. A restructuring or termination of the league's broadcast agreements could also end controversial "blackouts." MLB is prepared to take over broadcasting the regular season games, which start March 30, Manfred said. Sinclair Broadcasting Group, one of the largest broadcasters of local news across the country, bought the rights in 2019 to broadcast much of America's regular season games for the MLB, NBA, and NHL. Manfred said he hopes digital offerings and future broadcast deals would allow a fan to pay to stream their home team's games without worrying about "blackouts."

☆ Why the future of Sinclair's Bally Sports Regional Networks matters to every pro league and stakeholder in the TV sports business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sinclair bought its regional sports networks, now branded as Bally, from Fox after it sold assets to Disney. Four years later, the 19 networks now carrying the Bally Sports brand name are likely headed for a Chapter 11 reorganization. "We see downside risk increasing as Pay TV subscribers shift away from the linear bundle. Questions are swirling over how Diamond Sports will continue to pay rights fees to the sports leagues during a reorganization process. Symson said local rights are up in some markets and Scripps is ready to engage.

Sinclair acquired the portfolio of regional sports networks from Disney in 2019 for $10.6 billion, including roughly $8 billion in debt. Diamond Sports' portfolio includes Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Florida and Bally Sports Southwest. Its networks are home to more than half of MLB, NHL and NBA teams in the U.S., Diamond says. As consumers flee traditional pay-TV bundles, cable networks, particularly the regional sports networks, have felt the brunt of it. Concerns that Diamond could forgo paying the rights payments while under bankruptcy protection have been discussed at the leagues, the people said.

☆ FuboTV insiders describe how its 'doomed' sportsbook collapsed in a year — and what it means for the future of the streaming company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Colin Salao | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

But despite the MetLife lounge remaining open throughout the 2021-22 NFL season, the Fubo Sportsbook wouldn't launch in New Jersey until the following one, in September 2022. "It was doomed from the start," one former Fubo Gaming staffer told Insider. Meanwhile, Rattner — whom the first former Fubo gaming staffer described as a "good talker" — sustained the startup's more youthful culture. The Fubo Sportsbook launched in New Jersey on September 7, days before the first Jets home game. A promotional image from when the Fubo Sportsbook went live in New Jersey in September 2022.

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