Diamond Sports Group may drop several Bally Sports RSNs if and when it emerges from bankruptcy. Plus: Venu Sports, the joint venture between Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery, sets a price point ahead of its fall launch; Paul Finebaum re-signs with ESPN; and more.
Diamond Sports could drop several of its RSNs amid bankruptcy
As Diamond Sports Group looks to emerge from bankruptcy, the company may look to eliminate RSNs for up to five NBA franchises for the 2024-25 season, per Sports Business Journal on Thursday. Those teams are the Pelicans, Thunder, Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Pistons. The five franchises have made contingencies should they be dropped by Diamond.
Those contingencies would likely take a form similar to what the Suns and Jazz have done after ditching the RSN model: reach an over-the-air deal with a local affiliate and supplement it with a paid streaming service. Four of the five teams in question aired some games over-the-air last season after Diamond and the NBA struck a deal allowing teams to sub-license up to 10 games to local affiliates.
Should Diamond emerge from bankruptcy, which looks more likely following its deal with Comcast earlier this week, the company is expected to honor its deals with the other 10 NBA franchises currently aired on Bally Sports channels. Those deals, however, are expected to see rights fees cut by 30-40%. (SBJ, 8.1)
Venu Sports sets price point for launch
The much anticipated joint streaming venture between Disney, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery dubbed Venu Sports announced its price Thursday. The new streaming service will charge users $42.99 per month to access the full suite of sports channels offered by the three companies. Users that sign up at “launch price” will be locked into that rate for a year, signaling that the price will likely rise down the line.
The service is priced right in the middle area between a traditional streamer like Netflix or Hulu and a vMVPD like YouTube TV. The intention, per Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch, is to capture sports fans that are “cord nevers,” or in other words, someone who has never subscribed to a traditional cable bundle.
Whether Venu will prove important in the broader scheme of live sports distribution has been hotly debated since the joint venture was announced. It has yet to be seen whether there is an audience that will pay $42.99 per month for what amounts to just some, not all, premium live sports rights. (Venu, 8.1)
Finebaum and ESPN reach extension
Paul Finebaum will remain the “Voice of the SEC” for ESPN after signing a multi-year extension, the network announced on Thursday. Starting this season, ESPN will be the exclusive rightsholder for the SEC through 2034. Finebaum will continue his weekday radio show that is simulcast on SEC Network.
In addition to his normal SEC Network duties, Finebaum will continue his appearances across ESPN’s mainstay of studio shows. The Finebaum crew will also continue to take his Friday shows on the road to SEC campuses each week during the football season, starting with Gainesville, FL on August 30th for the Miami-Florida game. (ESPN, 8.1)
Yurk, Marek, YES
— ESPN has named Russell Yurk as the new on-air rules analyst of “Monday Night Football” replacing John Parry. Yurk is a former NFL officiating executive who served as VP of Instant Replay and Administration for the league. He also currently serves as the Big Ten’s replay supervisor. (ESPN, 7.31)
— NHL broadcaster Jeff Marek‘s unexpected departure from Canadian network Sportsnet is reportedly tied to leaking NHL Draft picks prior to being officially announced, per The Athletic. Marek had been a staple of Sportsnet’s NHL coverage for 13 years, but had not appeared on any of his normal platforms following this year’s draft, leading to speculation. (The Athletic, 8.1)
— In a move perhaps unprecedented for an RSN, YES Network will launch an animated Saturday morning cartoon in partnership with Tzero Studios beginning August 17th, the network announced Thursday. The show entitled “HexClad Presents Bronx Buds” will follow a fictitious Bronx-based youth baseball team. Each episode will run just seven minutes, and is made in partnership with YES Network’s “official kitchenware partner” HexClad. (YES, 8.1)
