Sinclair has acquired the RSNs Disney purchased from Fox; Bob Ley‘s sabbatical has been extended; Jamie Horowitz has resurfaced; ESPN has reached a deal with the Arena Football League.
Sinclair acquires RSNs Disney bought from Fox
Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Friday that it has officially acquired the 21 regional sports networks Disney purchased from 21st Century Fox. Under the deal, the RSNs are valued at $10.6 billion, less than half of their estimated worth when the Disney-Fox sale was first announced in 2017.
Disney was forced to sell the RSNs by U.S. justice department regulators in order to win approval for its broader $71.3 billion acquisition of most Fox assets. The new deal will also be subject to regulatory approval.
Sinclair, which owns Stadium, Tennis Channel, and a right-wing local news operation, outbid competitors Liberty Media and the BIG3. At the beginning of the process, Fox was widely expected to buy back the networks, but it never expressed any real interest. Neither did major media conglomerates Comcast and AT&T, which own their own RSNs.
Fox Business first reported last week that Disney and Sinclair had reached a “handshake deal.” The Wall Street Journal was first to report Friday that the deal was done. [PR Newswire 5.3; Wall Street Journal 5.3; Fox Business 4.26]
ESPN’s Ley extends break
ESPN Outside the Lines host Bob Ley has extended his sabbatical from the network, with no return date set, ESPN said Friday. Ley began what was supposed to be a six-month sabbatical late last year. The Big Lead was first to report that he had extended his absence. [ESPN PR 5.3]
Horowitz back, this time at DAZN
The former Fox Sports executive Jamie Horowitz, who was fired for sexual harassment last year, has joined DAZN as executive vice president of content. Horowitz is not new to DAZN, having served as a consultant for the streaming platform over the past nine months. He will now work under DAZN president John Skipper. Two years ago, as the leaders of ESPN and FS1 respectively, Skipper and Horowitz were arguably the two most powerful people in sports TV.
DAZN is Horowitz’ third stop since leaving ESPN in 2014. In addition to his time at Fox Sports from 2015-17, he also worked for NBC News, where he was fired before a single day on the job. [Hollywood Reporter 5.3]
ESPN, Arena League, reach deal
ESPN and the Arena Football League have reached a media rights deal that will return the ArenaBowl to Nielsen-rated television. The game had been airing on CBS Sports Network, but will this year air on ESPN2. Under the deal, all AFL games will air on ESPN3 and the ESPN app, with the first broadcasts having aired this past Friday night. [ESPN PR 5.3]
