Bidding has begun on the RSNs Disney is acquiring from Fox; Major League Baseball is already in talks on a media rights extension with Fox; NBA G-League games are headed to ESPN Plus.
Bidding Begins on FOX RSNs
Disney has opened bidding on the 22 regional sports networks that it is acquiring from 21st Century Fox and divesting as part of a settlement with the U.S. justice department, Sports Business Daily reported Thursday. According to the report, Fox Sports is not submitting a bid, though it could still have some involvement later in the process. Previous reporting by CNBC indicated that Fox was the frontrunner to purchase the RSNs it currently owns. Rival Comcast, which battled Disney to acquire the package of 21st Century Fox assets that included the RSNs, is also not bidding.
The CEO of Discovery Inc., a major player in sports media rights overseas, also ruled out his company’s interest in the RSNs. In an earnings call Thursday, he called the RSN business “dicey” and said Discovery would not be in the mix “[u]nless it was a great deal,” per The Wrap.
Prospective bidders have included private equity firms, including one that has entered into discussions with LeBron James‘ media company Uninterrupted; team owners; and a group that includes the musician Ice Cube and investors in his Big 3 basketball league.
MLB Looking at Fox Extension; ESPN Wants Playoff Series
Major League Baseball and Fox Sports have begun discussions on extending their media rights deal, the New York Post reported this week. Fox Sports’ current deal with MLB expires after the 2021 season. The company began carrying MLB in 1996.
Meanwhile, Awful Announcing reported last week that new ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro has made acquiring a full postseason series “a ‘priority’ for the network.” ESPN has carried a total of five playoff games since 2006, each in the single-elimination Wild Card round. Per the aforementioned Post report, MLB has not begun talks with ESPN or fellow cable partner Turner Sports.
ESPN Plus Adds Plethora of “G-League” Games
The ESPN over-the-top service ESPN+ will carry 200 NBA developmental league games this season, ESPN announced Monday. The over-the-top service is scheduled to air multiple games each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the first broadcasts having aired this past week. ESPN’s linear networks already air developmental league games, including the finals.
[News from Sports Business Daily 10.30, 11.8; The Wrap 11.8; NYP 11.5; Awful Announcing 11.2; ESPN PR 11.5]
