YouTube TV drops Sinclair's regional sports networks amid carriage dispute
YouTube TV joins other streaming services in dropping the RSNs
FBN’s Charlie Gasparino reports that Sinclair Broadcast Group reached a “handshake agreement” to buy Fox’s RSNs from Disney.
YouTube TV said Thursday it will drop the former Fox Regional Sports Networks, now owned by Sinclair Broadcasting, from its service at the end of February, joining other streaming services that have failed to reach carriage terms for the properties.
YouTube TV subscribers will lose access to the Fox RSNs and YES Network, home to MLB’s New York Yankees. The Sinclair-owned stations have exclusive local rights to 42 professional sports teams, including 14 MLB franchises and 16 NBA franchises.
“Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair,” YouTube TV wrote on Twitter. “As a result, we will no longer offer FOX Regional Sports Networks, including YES Network, beginning February 29th.”
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Sinclair closed on a $9.6 billion deal to buy the 21 Fox RSNs from Disney last August. Sinclair also acquired a stake in YES Network in a separate transaction. Disney was forced to sell the RSNs in order to complete its $71.3 billion acquisition of film and television properties from 21st Century Fox.
Sinclair pushed back on YouTube's characterization of negotiations, asserting that it actually offered to lower fees.
“We offered YouTube TV the best terms under which their competitors carry our Regional Sports Networks. Unfortunately, they alone decided to drop these channels citing 'rising costs' despite our offer to actually lower the fees they pay us," Sinclair spokesperson Ronn Torossian said in a statement. "We also offered to continue negotiating under a short-term extension so that their subscribers could continue to watch their favorite hometown teams. They’ve not yet responded to this offer."
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Sling TV and fuboTV also dropped the Sinclair-owned stations from their services in recent days, citing the high cost of live sports content. The RSNs remain active on Hulu and AT&T Now.
“We do not take this decision lightly. This is a reflection of the rising cost of sports content,” YouTube TV added. “You may have noticed several other TV services have also decided to remove FOX Regional Sports Networks from their lineups.”
Sinclair has yet to rebrand the former Fox RSNs since closing the transaction.
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This story has been updated to include a comment from Sinclair Broadcasting.