Sinclair to acquire FOX RSNs from Disney

[IU Hawks fan]

Potentially big news for several teams.

Sinclair to Acquire Sports Networks From Disney

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[tony d]

Couldn't get the whole story but if this happens hope it's going to be good for the teams affected.

 

[SupremeNachos]

So the rights go from a smaller monopoly to a larger one. Makes sense.

 

[Fenway]

This isn't good for the people who work behind the camera as Sinclair cuts corners everywhere.

Sinclair Buys Regional Sports Networks From Disney in $10.6 Billion Deal

Sinclair Broadcast Group said Friday that it had agreed to acquire 21 regional sports networks from Walt Disney Company in a deal worth $10.6 billion, giving the largest operator of local television stations in the United States a foothold in the cable industry with the rights to broadcast games of dozens of professional teams.

Disney was forced to sell the networks to receive antitrust approval for its $71.3 billion acquisition of most of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in a deal that closed in March. The Justice Department required the sale of the networks, which were part of Fox, because Disney, through its ownership of ESPN, already dominates the market for televised sports.

One of the 22 sports properties that Disney was required to sell, the YES Network, is being acquired by the New York Yankees and the e-commerce giant Amazon for about $3.5 billion, according to people familiar with the transaction. Sinclair also has a stake in that deal.

Disney is getting less for the sports networks than some analysts had expected. Last year, Guggenheim Securities estimated that, including the YES Network, the channels had a value of $22 billion. Regional sports networks have lost value in recent years as fewer people pay for television.

Chris Ripley, Sinclair’s chief executive, said the company was well positioned to manage the networks. “This is a very exciting transaction,” he said in a statement. “While consumer viewing habits have shifted, the tradition of watching live sports and news remains ingrained in our culture.”

 

[Centrum Hockey]

This isn't good for the people who work behind the camera as Sinclair cuts corners everywhere.

Sinclair Buys Regional Sports Networks From Disney in $10.6 Billion Deal

Sinclair Broadcast Group said Friday that it had agreed to acquire 21 regional sports networks from Walt Disney Company in a deal worth $10.6 billion, giving the largest operator of local television stations in the United States a foothold in the cable industry with the rights to broadcast games of dozens of professional teams.

Disney was forced to sell the networks to receive antitrust approval for its $71.3 billion acquisition of most of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in a deal that closed in March. The Justice Department required the sale of the networks, which were part of Fox, because Disney, through its ownership of ESPN, already dominates the market for televised sports.

One of the 22 sports properties that Disney was required to sell, the YES Network, is being acquired by the New York Yankees and the e-commerce giant Amazon for about $3.5 billion, according to people familiar with the transaction. Sinclair also has a stake in that deal.

Disney is getting less for the sports networks than some analysts had expected. Last year, Guggenheim Securities estimated that, including the YES Network, the channels had a value of $22 billion. Regional sports networks have lost value in recent years as fewer people pay for television.

Chris Ripley, Sinclair’s chief executive, said the company was well positioned to manage the networks. “This is a very exciting transaction,” he said in a statement. “While consumer viewing habits have shifted, the tradition of watching live sports and news remains ingrained in our culture.”

Do you think Sinclair will bid for nesn if Henry's group ever cashes out on their Boston holdings.

 

[Fenway]

Do you think Sinclair will bid for nesn if Henry's group ever cashes out on their Boston holdings.

For sure and Disney might be interested as well.

 

[Brodie]

Sinclair is really gross and this is upsetting

but I hope they do the right thing and give ever RSN a unique and local name

 

[Fenway]

Sinclair is really gross and this is upsetting

but I hope they do the right thing and give ever RSN a unique and local name

The NBC outlet in Providence used to be a crown jewel but since Sinclair took over it has been a trainwreck.

 

[GindyDraws]

For all the people who gripe about ESPN putting politics in sports, Sinclair is notorious for putting a political slant [MOD] on their TV stations, forcing their TV anchors to read scripted prompts and the owned networks to air "must-runs" that feature programs and segments that showcase Sinclair Broadcasting's political views and opinions daily. Bear in mind that people, in general, have a more trustworthy opinion of their local news outlets than cable companies.

I personally dread seeing that on these cable stations, where there's even less restrictions.

 

[rojac]

Sinclair is really gross and this is upsetting

but I hope they do the right thing and give ever RSN a unique and local name

Who cares what the name of a RSN is? It's just the channel you turn to watch the game. Why does it matter if it's called "Great Lakes Super Sports" or "Sports Channel 22"?

 

[Brodie]

Who cares what the name of a RSN is? It's just the channel you turn to watch the game. Why does it matter if it's called "Great Lakes Super Sports" or "Sports Channel 22"?

I might ask why you care what I care about.

 

[rojac]

I might ask why you care what I care about.

Fair enough. I was just curious.

 

[SkalbaniasGhost]

Dolan will now look to unload MSG network/Rangers/Knicks sometime in the next 12 months.The Dolan family has already sold Cablevision to Altice.

 

[McGarnagle]

Are they going to cut to sideline reporters during games giving must-read political commentary?

 

[awfulwaffle]

I might ask why you care what I care about.

Well we see now the TV rating issue, the name of the TV channel!

 

[jkrdevil]

Sinclair is really gross and this is upsetting

but I hope they do the right thing and give ever RSN a unique and local name

My guess is they may rebrand under the “Stadium” brand as they also own that.

 

[Preds Partisan]

Sinclair has ruined the quality of just about everything they've acquired. Count me out.

 

[jiggsawpuzzle35]

Does anyone know when we should expect the rebrand to launch? I was really hoping Disney would be able to launch their own RSN after their 1st attempt failed in the late 90s early 2000s. Back when they owned the Mighty Ducks and Angels, a new network called ESPN WEST was set to launch until that fizzled out.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Does anyone know when we should expect the rebrand to launch? I was really hoping Disney would be able to launch their own RSN after their 1st attempt failed in the late 90s early 2000s. Back when they owned the Mighty Ducks and Angels, a new network called ESPN WEST was set to launch until that fizzled out.

There are rumors that they could buy nesn and make it a extension of espn.