Latest in regional sports networks

Diamond Sports Group, operator of the largest string of regional sports networks in the U.S., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The move, announced Tuesday night by the subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, had been expected for several weeks. The RSN model, which was a profit geyser…

David Preschlack, a former NBC Sports executive who oversaw its regional sports networks and previously had a 20-year run at Disney and ESPN, has been named CEO of the financially challenged Diamond Sports Group. A subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which led the purchase of the formerly…

Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals, has agreed to acquire full control of regional TV network NBC Sports Washington. Founded by former AOL exec Ted Leonsis, Monumental has owned 33% of the networks since 2016. Pending regulatory approval, it…

NESN, the longtime cable TV home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins, has become the first regional sports network to offer viewers streaming access to live games without a pay-TV subscription. The new outlet, called NESN 360, costs $30 a month and is only available…

Diamond Sports Group has made a call to the bullpen. The troubled subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which runs 19 regional sports networks formerly owned by Fox and now branded Bally Sports, has recruited former Fox Sports and Hulu boss Randy Freer to serve on a new board of managers. Freer will serve as chair…

Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Rob Weisbord said he is “cautiously optimistic” about landing more Major League Baseball streaming rights despite public friction between the parties in recent months. “There are ongoing conversations. I’m cautiously optimistic, now that they got past the lockout,” he said, alluding to MLB’s…

Undaunted by headwinds, Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley reaffirmed plans to launch direct-to-consumer streaming versions of the regional sports networks controlled by the company. “We think it’s going to do great things in the future,” he said of Diamond Sports Group, the consortium-backed entity that…

Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley said the company’s regional sports networks division has “ample liquidity” to keep operating and reaffirmed plans for a major streaming launch next spring. Speaking with analysts during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Ripley said the company currently has…

Sinclair Broadcast Group edged Wall Street analysts’ estimate for revenue in the third quarter, reporting $1.54 billion as the acquisition of 22 formerly Fox-owned regional sports networks hit the balance sheet. The revenue number rose 37% thanks to the RSNs, but the deal also proved problematic given the timing of…

A portfolio of 21 regional sports networks long operated by Fox and now controlled by Diamond Sports Group, a consortium led by Sinclair Broadcast Group, have gone dark on Hulu’s live TV bundle. The signals of the YES Network, which is owned by the New York Yankees, Sinclair, Amazon and private equity firms, and the…

Just in time for Friday’s Chicago Cubs season opener, Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group have renewed their carriage agreement, which includes the Cubs’ new TV home, Marquee Sports Network. The multi-year deal covers retransmission consent of 78 Sinclair TV stations in 51 markets across Comcast's cable footprint. It…

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the credit outlook of Diamond Sports Group, the consortium led by Sinclair Broadcast Group that owns the 23 regional sports networks formerly run by Fox. The view of the ratings agency turned negative due to increased debt levels likely over the next 12 months. All sports…