Rob Manfred acknowledges the possibility that MLB may pool its local rights into one streaming service in the future. Plus: Skip Bayless to leave FS1’s Undisputed this summer; New York Knicks owner James Dolan rails against new NBA media rights deals.
Rob Manfred indicates national RSN package a possibility
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged that a nationalized package for local media rights is a possibility in the future, per Sports Business Journal on Tuesday. The report indicates that the pooled local rights may start with about half of MLB franchises.
Manfred revealed that the league talked to a number of major streaming companies at the Sun Valley Conference last week, conversations that were a product of owners’ fears about the declining RSN model.
A significant number of MLB franchises remain in flux as Diamond Sports Group continues its proceedings in bankruptcy court. Should Diamond fail to emerge from said proceedings, the 11 MLB franchises currently inked to deals with Bally Sports RSNs would be in the market for a new broadcast partner — potentially a base for a new direct-to-consumer product.
MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark noted that any significant changes to the league’s media rights structure would need to be collectively bargained. (SBJ, 7.16)
Bayless to depart Undisputed
Skip Bayless, an anchor of FS1’s studio programming for eight years, will leave his role as a co-host of Undisputed this summer, per a New York Post report on Monday. Bayless has hosted the show since leaving ESPN’s First Take in 2016.
Undisputed has struggled in the viewership department for some time, seeing audiences of fewer than 60,000 on several occasions. The show re-launched with a new format last year following a summer hiatus spurred by the departure of longtime co-host Shannon Sharpe, who now finds himself as a key piece of First Take. The revamped Undisputed now features recurring panelists Keyshawn Johnson, Michael Irvin, Richard Sherman, Rachel Nichols, and Paul Pierce. The show is reportedly expected to continue without Bayless.
On Tuesday, reports emerged that ESPN does not plan to reprise Bayless’ role on First Take. In a statement given to Front Office Sports, an ESPN spokesperson said, “We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors.” (NY Post, 7.15) (Front Office Sports, 7.16)
Dolan blasts new NBA media rights deals
New York Knicks owner James Dolan laid bare his concerns about the NBA’s new set of media rights deals in a letter to the league’s board of governors obtained by ESPN on Monday. Among his primary concerns is the atrophying of regional sports networks, which he believes have been rendered “unviable” given the combination of national television and streaming inventory sold in the new deals. The Knicks owner claims that nearly half of regular season games and all postseason games will be available to national partners, limiting the inventory for RSNs.
Dolan also sharply criticized the NBA’s revenue sharing model saying, “the league must take down the successful franchises and redistribute to the less successful.” The Knicks play in the largest media market in the United States, and receive a substantial rights fee for its local package of games. It should be noted, Dolan owns MSG Networks, the Knicks local media partner.
The NBA is set to triple its media rights revenue from its current set of national deals to the tune of $74.6b over 11 years starting in the 2025-26 season, per ESPN. Earlier reporting had placed that figure slightly higher, at $76b. (ESPN, 7.15)
