ESPN partnership talks include possibility of local rights

[Kirk Van Houten]

WSJ: ESPN partnership talks include possibility of local rights

ESPN is reportedly discussing the possibility of acquiring local rights to "Big Four" teams as part of its search for a strategic partner.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

Major League Baseball and ESPN have held preliminary discussions about distributing local games in select markets, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Per the report, games could be distributed as an add-on to the ESPN+ streaming service. ESPN is said to see “potential” in distributing games locally — in baseball and beyond — but not at the price of a large rights fee. The discussions are part of talks between ESPN parent company Disney and the “Big Four” sports leagues about potentially acquiring a stake in ESPN as part of a strategic partnership. One presumes that an ESPN partly owned by the leagues would not have to pay the going rate for local (or national) rights. The driving force behind the recent upheaval at ESPN and elsewhere is the collapsing cable universe. Per the August Nielsen universe estimates, ESPN is now said to be in 71.32 million homes, down from 74.21 million in December and fewer than FS1 (71.38M). Per the Post, ESPN is expected to take its flagship network direct-to-subscriber in two or three years.

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