Here is what you should know:
While YES hopes to be operational by the time the Yankees play the Giants on March 30, the start date could be delayed if certain conditions are not met. Randy Levine, president of the Yankees and chairman of YES, stated on WFAN’s “Carton & Roberts” in late July that YES would have a DTC offering “very soon.”
While a direct-to-consumer (DTC) service would allow viewers to circumvent cable and satellite providers, YES is working with its current distributors to make it work for everyone.
The pricing has not been determined.
4. NESN entered the direct-to-consumer RSN game last year, pricing Red Sox and Bruins games at $30 per month and adding eight tickets to Fenway Park games. While the initial pricing was sufficiently expensive to give the impression that it was designed to keep people on cable, the tickets significantly sweetened the offer, which likely did not sit well with NESN’s heritage distributors.
Where will YES DTC be offered? Only inside the local rights area, and nowhere else. In the near future, if you live in the tri-state area and can see Yankees games on YES, you will be able to purchase this new product without a cable subscription.
The Yankees have the most valuable regional sports product in the United States. YES also has the Nets, but when the package launches, going direct-to-consumer with Yankees games and others will have a significant impact on the business.
It is not a coincidence that the YES app logo has been in the right-hand corner of network game broadcasts for some time. The Yankees began streaming 21 games via Amazon Prime Video last season. Thus, this would be a possible extension of the streaming industry.
What’s with SNY?
Mets broadcasts featuring Ron Darling, Gary Cohen, and Keith Hernandez (if he inks a new contract with the network) will not be accessible on a DTC product for at least one more season.
According to our knowledge, SNY will likely wait another year before entering the direct-to-consumer market. It will occur. They are simply proceeding more slowly.
The question that SNY and each of these networks contemplating DTC must ask is: Are there a large number of people who need access to games but do not have it? If not, there may be no need for urgency. Eventually, it will be implemented by all RSNs, leagues, and networks. You desire to be somewhat ahead of the curve, yet the needle is being threaded.
What about MSG Network?
In November, Josh Kosman of the Post Business stated that MSG Network wanted to have its DTC product available for the second half of the Knicks and Rangers seasons, and that it would cost between $20 and $25 per month.
MSG Network President and CEO Andrea Greenberg told Kosman in November, “We are making progress in the design and development of our direct-to-consumer offering, and we remain on track to launch in the second half of the NBA and NHL seasons.” Even if the media landscape is changing, we continue to believe in the value of our premium content and our capacity to innovate in order to create value for our partners, marketers, and audiences.
Rapid clicks
The problem with CBS’s telecast featuring Jim Nantz and Tony Romo is that it is fundamentally flawed. Fans and professionals alike will criticize the game calls until this issue is resolved since they are inconsistent and lack consistency. Romo has earned the escalating severity of the criticism he has received. What made him successful — his gunslinging technique from the booth — is now a weakness because he is no longer off the field and no longer studies enough to be spontaneous. Therefore, he tends to devote the most of his time to fawning about quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. We recognize that they are excellent. Meanwhile, Nantz and Romo are not on the same page. Nantz lacks the same enthusiasm and skill for football as he does for golf. He cannot also volley and lead Romo quickly enough to bring continuity to the broadcast. Unless Nantz and Romo improve their fundamentals, they will encounter difficulties… During post-game, Nantz did made me giggle. As usual, he descended from the booth to give the trophies. Nantz dubbed the Super Bowl the “Andy Reid Bowl” after the conclusion of the game. In an interview with Reid, Nantz referenced himself. …
Fox Sports was handed a disappointing championship game with the depleted 49ers, but its coverage of the event improved as the game progressed. They were a bit sluggish in determining whether Brock Purdy could return to the game, which rapidly became the major story. Due to Purdy’s elbow injury, Fox broadcast video of him warming up. Even an outstanding sideline reporter like Erin Andrews can only do so much because the teams pick what information to provide during games, but we required an analysis of what may have been occurring. At the beginning of the second quarter, commentator Greg Olsen did an excellent job explaining that Purdy’s right throwing hand could be affected by the elbow injury. Eventually, Purdy returned, but he did not toss the ball. Throughout the game, Burkhardt gave Olsen ample room to evaluate, and Olsen performed admirably overall. Burkhardt grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, as an Eagles supporter. In two weeks, he will call his first Super Bowl for the Eagles… Chris Fowler added to ESPN’s ridicule for not sending its top play-by-player commentators and analysts to the Australian Open. ESPN attempted to deceive the viewers during the men’s semifinals by situating Fowler and John McEnroe in front of a screen with the Australian Open crowd behind them. It may have been evident to a skilled eye that they were not present, but the majority of viewers are interested in the sport. After a sideline reporter in Melbourne mentioned the hot temperatures, Fowler reported that it was 35 degrees in Bristol. And the deception ended. Next year, hopefully, ESPN will treat the Australian Open as a grand slam and not a minor tournament.
WFAN has intentions to replace Sweeny Murti. It hopes to have someone who can handle post-game duties and be a pinch-hitter if — when? — the need arises. John Sterling requires time off. As is his nature, Sterling, who will turn 85 in July, is now pressing to play in every game, but there is a high chance he may alter his mind once the season’s rigors become apparent. This is why a candidate like Justin Shackil could be considered for FAN. Last season, Shackil filled in for Sterling and performed admirably. He has worked on Yankees-related projects from in-stadium broadcasts to a Jomboy podcast with David Cone, in addition to boxing work for DAZN… Wednesday’s appearance by Mike Francesa and Chris Russo on ESPN’s “First Take” is a victory for… Christopher A. Smith One could argue that Smith’s career influence has already surpassed that of “Mike & the Mad Dog,” but for Smith, who has worked in and out of New York radio, where Russo and Francesa have reigned as kings, it must be rather gratifying to have them on his show.
Knicks ratings disaster
Even with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson driving the Knicks into postseason contention, MSG viewers have not been as motivated to watch the club this season as they were last year.
Jason Szenes, New York Post
According to a source with access to Nielsen numbers, the Knicks’ MSG Network ratings are 22 percent lower than they were at this time last year. In contrast to most other networks, MSG does not disclose its ratings. This secrecy is hardly surprising for a firm owned by James Dolan.
The Knicks average 110,000 viewers per game, which is higher than the Nets’ 66,000 viewers per game. The Nets are in the red, but only by six percent.
With all the commotion surrounding the Garden, this may not be a major concern, but it is a huge decline from the previous year. The Garden does not acknowledge the ratings, therefore it is uncertain if there is a cause for the decline. MSG Network’s continued absence from Comcast networks is likely inconvenient, but this was the situation last year as well.
Pac-12 dilemma
Even while I believe Amazon, ESPN, and Fox Sports are interested in the Pac-12 television agreement, I get the impression that none of them consider it as a must-have. So, where does the conference’s leverage come from? NBC, CBS, and Apple TV+ would want it to be primarily a streaming contract, if they were even interested, so it would be difficult to negotiate with others. Apple, of course, does not have a broadcast network, unlike NBC’s fall schedule includes Big Ten games in prime time and Notre Dame home games in the afternoon. And CBS broadcasts afternoon Big Ten games. Perhaps there is a void for a Saturday night Pac-12 schedule on broadcast television, but it doesn’t feel like a good fit, at least not for a lot of money.
The Pac-12 may receive more exposure in its next media rights deal as part of a streaming package than on traditional broadcasts, many of which are already co-scheduled with games from other conferences.
The concept of Amazon Prime Video taking on the weight of the Pac-12 may not make sense unless the pricing is right. Amazon has no linear lineup to fill, so it has no need for programming. ESPN and Fox Sports do, but due to their previous contracts (ESPN with the SEC, ACC, and Big 12, and Fox Sports with the Big Ten and Big 12), they do not require the additional games the Pac-12 would supply. With the economy in question, no one intends to spend extravagantly.
Amazon performed well with Thursday Night Football, but in addition to the fact that the NFL is a vastly different beast than the Pac-12, TNF is also a solo game. Pac-12 games compete with countless other college contests.
Pac-12 deals will be struck, but will they be sufficient to prevent further realignment, especially considering that the Big 12’s pact with ESPN allows for additional payouts if Power 5 schools are added? The Pac-12 should be able to come close to the approximately $32 million per school that the Big 12 earned, but it must recognize that the Big Ten is more of a competitor.
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