The pay TV ecosystem has dodged, at least for the moment, the launch of Venu Sports. But let's see it stop this very formidable-seeming competitive threat. 

Almost every major New York-area professional sports team's local telecast will be available via a new direct-to-consumer streaming app launching this fall from Yes Network and MSG Networks, under the joint venture the pair formed earlier this year, “Gotham Advanced Media & Entertainment” (GAME). 

Games not nationally televised for the New York Yankees, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Brooklyn Nets will be available in a service that's being billed as “the exclusive TV Everywhere and DTC streaming home of MSG+ and the YES App.” 

The combined offering delivers some decent savings vs. subscribing to just the individual apps, as the graphic below reveals. It will also be free to subscribers to the linear YES and MSG Networks. 

The Gotham Sports App can be downloaded by visiting www.Signup.GothamSports.com. It's supported by Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS and Android TV and most web browsers. 

“With the increased fragmentation of outlets carrying fan favorite sports programming, the Gotham Sports App allows fans of our teams one easy access point for New York area sporting events from MSG Networks and the YES Network,” Andrea Greenberg, president and CEO of MSG Networks, said in a statement. 

Sports-focused streaming service Fubo said it reached a multi-year agreement to carry the YES Network, the regional sports network home of the New York Yankees, just in time for opening day.

The agreement comes in time for Fubo to carry the Yankees’ season opener against the Houston Astros on Thursday (game time is 4:10 p.m. ET). The game will be followed by YES’s post-game show.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We are excited to reach an agreement with Fubo to bring YES and our best-in-class New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets coverage to Fubo subscribers,” said Jon Litner, CEO, the YES Network. “As interest in the Yankees continues to soar as we approach Opening Day and the team’s pursuit of its 28th World Series championship, Fubo streaming customers will now enjoy YES’s Emmy Award-winning Yankees coverage all season long.”

Fubo said it streams more than 55,000 live sporting events annually, with many streaming in 4K. Its base package includes 35 regional sports networks.

“Fubo is thrilled to bring New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets coverage to fans in the New York City area just in time for the 2024 season,” said Todd Mathers, senior VP, content strategy and acquisition at Fubo. “The addition of the YES Network to Fubo’s robust baseball offering — which is broader than any other streaming platform’s — means Yankees fans won’t miss a single pitch on YES. And, as Fubo is the only streaming platform to offer YES in its base plan, everyone in the family can enjoy the sports, news and entertainment content they love at an attractive price point.”

Fubo added 173,00 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2023, bringing its total to 1.6 million subs.

The company reduced its fourth-quarter loss to $70.1 million from $141.1 million a year ago. Revenue rose 28% to $410 million.

YES Network, owned by the Yankees' owners and by companies including Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios and Amazon, also has virtual MVPD carriage on DirecTV Stream. 

Having both ramped up their streaming tech wherewithal to take their respective regional sports networks over the top, the YES Network and MSG Networks are teaming on a new joint venture, Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment.

According to an announcement published by both companies Thursday, “GAME,” as it will be acronym-ically known, will “offer turnkey digital content distribution services, including platform technology, operational support and comprehensive data analytics to third parties, utilizing the combined technical and operational expertise each company has garnered from the respective successful launch and operation of the YES App and MSG Plus.”

Major League Baseball's New York Yankees are the majority owners of the club's RSN, the YES Network, which has Sinclair Broadcast Group, Amazon and various private-equity interests as minority owners. The YES Network, which is also the RSN home of the NBA's New York Nets, launched a $16.99-a-month direct-to-consumer app back in March of last year. 

MSG Entertainment, which was spun off by the erstwhile Cablevision, took MSG Network — RSN home of the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Red Bulls and Buffalo Sabres — DTC last summer. 

The JV is somewhat reminiscent of Major League Baseball's formation of MLB Advanced Media after the league began developing pioneering live-streaming tech back in the aughts. That subsidiary, later rebranded as BAMTech, was sold to Disney back in 2016 for $1 billion. 

“As we continue to capitalize on the momentum created by YES’ award-winning digital offerings, we look forward to collaborating with MSG Networks to further elevate the fan experience,” YES Network CEO Jon Litner said in a statement.  “With the launch of GAME, we are excited to develop new product offerings, and premium features and functionality, to serve audiences like never before, while also providing a scalable tech solution for third-party content owners seeking to deliver state-of-the-art streaming experiences to their customers.”

YES Network said that it launched a YES Rewards loyalty program for users of its streaming app.

The program, created with LiveLike, lets users who sign up to earn gift cards for watching live New York Yankees baseball games (and Brooklyn Nets or New York Liberty basketball games in the future), watching other YES programming or playing games on the app.

“The YES App was designed to connect fans to their favorite teams while offering an innovative and engaging feature set,” Jonathan Zarrilli, manager of strategy and business development at YES Network, said. “YES Rewards, powered by LiveLike, will tie all of these features together into one ecosystem intended to reward our most engaged fans. We look forward to exploring all the ways that ‘YES Rewards’ can be used to build community and expose users to everything that the YES App has to offer.”

The YES app is available to viewers of the New York-area regional sports network who are traditional pay TV subscribers and as a direct-to-consumer product.

“As the sports streaming landscape changes, it is more important than ever to be bringing value to fans and subscribers year-round, and the YES App has invested a lot of resources into developing innovative features that put fans first and lean into the power of community,” Miheer Valavalker, co-founder and CEO of LiveLike, said. “We are delighted to be working closely with the YES team to now incentivize fans to use these features and reward them for showing their passion for their New York sports teams.”

As it promised, the YES Network, the regional sports network home of baseball’s New York Yankees and pro basketball’s Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, is launching a direct-to-consumer streaming product in time for the Yankees’ 2023 regular season opener. 

Starting Wednesday, consumers in the New York region can pay $19.99 a month, or $199.99 for a full year, to stream the YES Network sans a pay TV subscription via the YES app. 

Those who sign up after April 30 will pay the regular price of $24.99 a month or $239.99 annually. 

YES remains distributed, for now, on Altice USA’s Optimum, Charter Spectrum, Verizon Fios TV, Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV and DirecTV Stream, Blue Ridge Communications and Cox Contour, among other pay TV platforms.

Customers of those services can still stream YES, TV Everywhere style, via the RSN's app at no additional cost. 

The YES app is widely supported by Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV and Samsung-connected TV operating systems, 

“For more than 20 years, YES has provided fans with a best-in-class sports viewing experience,” said Jon D. Litner, CEO of the YES Network, in a statement. “Fans continue to tune in to and engage with YES in record numbers for the most in-depth and most innovative coverage of our teams and our other award-winning programming. With this new direct-to-consumer offering, we are broadening our reach by making YES available to more fans in our regional footprint than ever before.”

Notably, just like last season, 20 YES Network-produced Yankees telecasts will be exclusively distributed by Amazon Prime Video, with the SVOD’s subscribers able to stream the games at no additional cost. 

The Yankees are YES’s largest shareholder, but the channel is co-owned by Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios ... and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which recently filed for bankruptcy for its fully owned collection of Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks. 

The broader regional sports networks business has suffered recently, as cord-cutting has eroded its distribution base while sports team constituents continue to up their licensing demands. 

A number of RSNs have gone over the top, but it remains to be seen if this is a long-term solution for their distribution woes … or if it will merely alienate their struggling pay TV operator partners. 

The Bally Sports channels went DTC last summer, but with only five of the 14 Major League Baseball teams under the RSNs’ banner agreeing to license their digital rights for Bally Sports Plus.

Sinclair, which operates its RSNs through its Diamond Sports Group subsidiary, has yet to release any customer metrics on Bally Sports Plus, which first entered beta in June of last year. 

Just prior to the Bally Sports Plus launch, New England Sports Network, RSN home of MLB's Boston Red Sox and the NHL’s Boston Bruins, hoisted NESN 360. But NESN, too, has been cagey about releasing DTC uptake data. ■

Amazon said the Yankees are coming back to Prime Video.

This season, 20 regular-season New York Yankees baseball games will be available to Amazon Prime members at no additional cost, starting with the Bronx Bombers playing the Philadelphia Phillies on April 4.

The games are available to viewers in the Yankees’ home viewing area of New York State, Connecticut, Northern and Central New Jersey and Northeast Pennsylvania.

Also Read: Digital Sportsplay: YES Network Keeps Taking Big Tech Swings

YES Network’s broadcast team, in collaboration with Prime Video, will return to produce the 20 Prime Video games. YES Network’s Michael Kay will handle play-by-play, joined by YES analysts David Cone, Paul O’Neill, John Flaherty and Jeff Nelson. 

Yankees games on Prime Video will again feature Amazon’s X-Ray technology, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), allowing viewer access to live in-game stats, team and player details, and real-time play-by-play information

Prime Video’s 30-minute pregame show also returns, with YES’s Meredith Marakovits hosting before home games. ■

Amazon Prime Video is hoping its live coverage of the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup Championship game tonight (July 26) continues to build on the streaming service’s appeal to sports fans through quality, live sports content, according to Amazon VP of global sports video Marie Donoghue.

The Commissioner’s Cup, an in-season tournament that matches the two WNBA teams with the best record based on percentage of games designated for Cup play in each conference, debuted last year with the Seattle Storm defeating the Connecticut Sun. This season’s matchup pits defending WNBA champion Chicago Sky against the Las Vegas Aces. The winning team receives a $500,000 prize, according to the league. 

Donoghue said last year’s inaugural event drew strong viewership for the streaming service, although she would not reveal specific numbers. She said the exclusive rights to the game came out of Prime Video’s multi-year deal with the league to air 16 WNBA games per season reached in 2021.

“We thought it was an awesome opportunity for us to serve our fans with the Commissioner's Cup,” said Donoghue told Multichannel News. “We were pleased with last year’s viewership — we generated a lot of positive feedback from viewers. We’re especially excited to have it come back for the second year.” 

Donoghue said Prime is working with the YES Network — the two have already teamed to exclusively stream 21 New York Yankees games this season — to stream the Commissioner's Cup championship game. YES Network on-air talent Sarah Kustok and Michael Grady will serve as analyst and play-by-play announcer for the event.

Also serving on the Commissioner's Cup broadcast team is former WNBA All-star Dawn Staley, who said the game provides a major boost to the WNBA. “I think the Commissioner’s Cup … makes regular-season games meaningful,” said Staley, the head women’s basketball coach for South Carolina, the NCAA champions. “If you're really good, it affords you an opportunity to win two championships.” 

Donoghue said the game along with Prime Video’s remaining WNBA telecasts helps the streaming service take sports fans into the late summer and its exclusive NFL Thursday Night Football package.

“We're really, really excited to launch the Thursday Night Football package with our preseason games in August, and then our first regular season on September 15,” she said. “It's a massive investment for us, and we’ve based it on our track record working with the NFL over the last several years.” ▪️

YES Network is celebrating the first anniversary of its streaming app by continuing to develop technological innovations to enhance sports fans’ viewing experience. 

The YES app, which launched last April and streams live New York Yankees baseball, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty basketball and New York City FC soccer action, is providing fans with unique, in-game interactive experiences with features such as in-game statistical overlays, watch party offerings, favorite player highlights and other information.

In March, YES added a free Pick-N-Play Live experience to Nets telecasts that allows users to predict in-game situations such as which players will score the most points in the game or which team will commit the next turnover. Users can keep track of their points through a live, onscreen leaderboard that’s updated during the live game telecast and compete for prizes like gift cards or team merchandise.

YES VP of strategy and business development Matt Duarte spoke to Multichannel News about the network’s continuing app development strategy. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.  

Also: Sinclair and Charter Reach Deal, Includes Bally Sports RSNs, YES Network 

MCN: How is YES Network positioning its app to increase usage and time spent on the offering?

Matt Duarte: We see the app as a new way to connect with our existing audience in a more engaging way that has multiple touch points throughout the day. We have a finite inventory on our linear channel, but with the app there are multiple ways for us to engage with and create a unique viewing experience tailored to individual fans through the introduction of the things that we've done with respect to stats, overlays, watch party features and free-to-play games. Our latest Pick-N-Play Live game that we recently introduced allows the user to really customize how they would like to watch the game. Some people are really stats-heavy and want to watch that way, while some people want to talk to their buddies down the road — this allows them a way to make that happen. It’s really become a digital destination for all of our fans across our teams. We’re able to really push the envelope from a technological perspective to create the best possible experience throughout our game and our other content.

MCN: The Pick-N-Play Live offering is not quite gambling, but do you foresee an opportunity where the app could be used for legal gambling at some point?

MD: I think it's a really good question, but for now we're really in the first steps in terms of what we're trying to do with this product, which is really engagement and lengthening the amount of time that we can get our fans to interact physically with our product and our content. I think the name of the game for [Pick-N-Play] specifically is to increase that engagement and watch time, and also to provide motivation for a larger group of fans who like to gamify the experience to really come in and watch a few games. I think down the line it could be more of a conversation of how exactly strategically we want to play in that field, but right now it's all about engagement, playing to those competitive juices and trying to play some games and win some prizes. 

MCN: Is there one particular feature users are gravitating to on a nightly basis? 

MD: I think there's been growth across all of the different features, but specifically it’s the live stats, given its longevity in terms of how long we've had it and the ways that we've improved upon it from a design perspective. We’ve added a live pitch cast from last year’s Yankees season that allows users to actually see the location of the balls and strikes on the screen and see the different matchups between hitters and pitchers over the last few years. It almost looks like it's part of the actual linear broadcast which is cool.

In addition, you will see factoids and trivia questions about our game that our digital team curates throughout the course of the game, which is really cool as well. For big games and big moments, the watch party feature has been really popular. If there's a close game with five minutes in the fourth quarter, viewers can go in and then invite a friend to watch Kevin Duran hit a game-winning jump shot. It's a really cool experience to be able to do that. 

MCN: Is there a specific metric you can provide to quantify the app’s usage on a game-by-game basis?

MD: We introduced a favorite player feature where we actually allowed fans to go into the app and select their favorite players. At that point, we’re able to curate and send highlights and different content around those different players to the actual fan. Between that and the rollout of the watch party feature, we’ve seen a 53% increase in viewership for the app since the [February] NBA All-Star break in terms of unique viewers per game for the Nets. I’m not going to say that the team’s performance didn’t also help increase viewership during that time, but you can see that the fan base is obviously interested in using the features when they tune in. We’re hoping to capitalize on that momentum and that wave heading into the Yankee season.

MCN: Is there any concern that the app becomes so popular with fans that it actually siphons viewers away from the linear YES Network? 

MD: It's really a companion where you can watch not only the game, but also interact with it as a second-screen experience. We think those play really well, especially the free Pick-N-Play game. I think it's all about optionality and offering our fans access no matter where they are and on whatever platform they have to really expand that usage and make sure they can watch their favorite teams whenever they can. ■ 

Sinclair Broadcast Group said it signed a new distribution deal with Charter Communications that includes carriage of its regional sports networks.

In addition to 19 Bally Sports regional sports networks, the deal covers Marquee Sports Network in Chicago and the YES Network in New York. Sinclair owns a piece of Marquee and YES.

Sinclair’s broadcast stations and the Tennis Channel are also going to get continued carriage as part of the agreement.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sinclair’s agreement with Charter Communications expired at the end of the month, but the channels and stations have remained available to cable subscribers under short term extensions.

The agreement was crucial to Sinclair because buying the RSNs from Disney left it carrying about $9 billion in debt. It would have been difficult to pay that money back without carriage fees from Charter, a major carrier.

Some distributors, including Dish Network and most of the streaming MVPDs have balked at carrying regional sports networks, because they generally have high carriage fees and require all subscribers, whether they are sports fans or not, to pay for them, raising the cost of service at a time when many consumers are cutting the cord to save money. 

Sinclair is planning to launch direct-to-consumer streaming services in some markets where it has RSNs. It was unclear how that plan is dealt with in the agreement with Charter. ■

YES Network said Wednesday that it has partnered with Jomboy Media to produce original content exclusively for both the network’s app and linear channel.

Jomboy is known for its breakdowns of baseball games and other sports -- especially its sometimes salty lip reading segments -- that have been popular with YouTube viewers. According to YES, Jomboy will produce its “distinctive style of original content” exclusively for the YES app, while additional content from the company will appear on both the linear channel and YES app. All of the programming will be promoted heavily on both the YES and Jomboy platforms and both companies will explore “new joint programming concepts,” according to YES.

Jomboy founder Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien and partner Jake Storiale were scheduled to appear on YES’ Yankees Hot Stove show tonight (March 23) at 10:30 p.m.  

Also: Apple Gets Rights To Stream 'Friday Night Baseball' Games

Among the programming that will appear exclusively on the YES app are Pitching Coach, a series where former Yankees great and current YES analyst David Cone pairs up with O’Brien and Storiale to provide Blitzball lessons. Blitzball is a backyard baseball game popular on Jomboy. Also exclusive to the app are select Jomboy Watch Party shows that will air in conjunction with select YES Yankees streamed telecasts, additional weekly content and other content to come. 

For both the linear channel and app, Jomboy will produce Best of Talkin’ Yanks, a 30-minute best-of show culled from Jomboy’s popular Talkin’ Yanks podcast; and Toeing the Slab, 30-minute best-of shows from the podcast hosted by Cone, Justin Schackil and James Smyth. Jomboy will also make appearances across existing podcasts like Talkin’ Yanks and YES programs like Yankees Hot Stove. 

The New York State Gaming Commission approved four licensed mobile sports wagering operators to begin taking mobile bets in the state beginning at 9 a.m. on January 8, and cable networks are gearing up for what they hope to be a big financial windfall.

Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive, which operates the BetRivers Sportsbook, got the green light from the Gaming Commission on Jan. 7, about a week prior to the January 15 start of the National Football Leauge playoffs and around a month before Super Bowl LVI on February 13, the biggest betting day of the year.

In a press release, Rush Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz said New York’s decision came just in time. 

“With the college football championship game on January 10th and NFL playoffs approaching, and the NBA and NHL seasons in full swing, in addition to countless other sports and betting options available for play, fans have endless entertainment at their fingertips at BetRivers,” Schwartz said in a press release.

Eyeing a $10 Billion Opportunity

New York State expects mobile sports gambling to represent a $10 billion revenue windfall annually. On Nov. 8, the state agreed to allow mobile sports wagering — about 18 other states, including neighboring New Jersey, have allowed it for months —- with the government taking 51% of gross revenue generated by the providers. 

With New York in the mix, however, other states that have been on the fence regarding mobile sports betting — including Connecticut, Delaware, Ohio, Louisiana, and Maryland, which have approved mobile gambling but haven’t gone live — will give them a needed push. 

“When it starts in New York, it becomes a national story,” said sports consultant Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Sports Media & Entertainment. “You’ve got four of the biggest sportsbooks starting on this, they’re creating New York-specific commercials, it’s going to become a subject of New York-based media outlets,” which should give any fence-sitters a needed push.

Another incentive for states: the enormous amount of money to be made. Some reports estimate that New York could reap about $1 billion in yearly profits from mobile sports betting. The state also is charging each mobile sports wagering operator a one-time $200 million licensing fee, and other providers are expected to join the fray. Initially nine providers were conditionally licensed by the state — Bally Corp.’s BallyNets; BetMGM, WynnBET; PointsBet New York; and Empire Resorts, doing business as Resorts World — were the others. The state Gaming Commission is still considering those five other applicants.   

“The remaining five conditionally licensed Mobile Sports Wagering Operators continue to work towards satisfying statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to launch and will be approved on a rolling basis when requirements are met,” the Gaming Commission said in a statement.

New Jersey has said gross revenue from online sports wagering was about $1 billion in September, most of that from mobile transactions. New York allowing mobile betting might cut into that handle — New York City gamblers were known to travel into the state just to make mobile bets. According to some reports, New York gamblers made about 25% to 30% of the sports bets in New Jersey. 

For television networks, the initial windfall is likely to be in the form of additional advertising — already Caesar’s Sportsbook, FanDuel, DraftKings and Rush Street, have been ramping up ads leading to Jan. 8. While sportsbooks have been advertising on sports channels ever since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed legal sports wagering in 2018, Berke said the introduction of the largest media market in the country to mobile wagering is a game-changer. 

“As it becomes more national in scope, the economics change in terms of being able to offer up a range of national content in a range of national media outlets,” Berke said. “Even six months ago, buying on the NFL, people were starting to do it, but it’s inefficient because half of the country can’t bet. When New York kicks in, suddenly, things change.” 

Berke said that viewers should expect similar programming on other sports channels, as “the line blurs between what is sports programming and what is sports betting programming.”

At YES Network, the home of New York Yankees baseball, Brooklyn Nets basketball, New York City Football Club soccer and New York Liberty basketball, the initial impact will mainly be on ad sales. But the RSN, the most-watched in the country, already has strong relationships with sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings, so New York's entry into mobile sports betting “just makes YES all the more valuable to these entities,” said spokesman Eric Handler. 

FanDuel and DraftKings probably have the biggest relationships with television networks, having inked a deal with Turner Sports in October 2020 to integrate betting information into content from TNT, TBS and Bleacher Report. That pact also included the ability for Turner to collect referral fees if bettors placed wagers through their sites. 

MSG Moves Aggressively

Across the board, sports networks have long been anticipating this day, and many have spent the past few months forging partnerships with casinos and sports wagering outlets and creating programming geared toward gaming aficionados.  

One of the more aggressive networks on the programming and deal fronts has been New York area regional sports network MSG Networks, which has expanded its sports betting-focused programming. In October MSG Networks launched Odds with Ends hosted by former New York Giants players Mathias Kiwanuka and David Tyree on Sunday mornings during the NFL season; and The Bettor Half Hour hosted by Alex Monaco to complement its existing betting shows including The Betting Exchange with sports gaming experts Katie Mox, Jeff Johnson and former New York Jets safety Erik Coleman.

Also last year, MSG Networks struck marketing partnerships with FanDuel, Bet 365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook.   

Caesars Sportsbook also plans to launch a new series on MSG Networks and its social media channels featuring actor and comedian JB Smoove — who also stars in the sportsbook’s national commercials. The show, One Course with JB Smoove, will integrate Caesars Sportsbook betting odds and content. In addition, the gaming giant and MSG Networks will launch a 20-part programming marathon to bring back the 2013 series Four Courses with JB Smoove, where the actor and comedian conversed with athletes and celebrities over dinner and which will now be updated with Caesars-themed content.

Caesar’s Sportsbook also will sponsor a special month-long programming block tied to former New York Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist. ■

One month after the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season threw out its first pitch, virtual multichannel video programming distributors YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV and Fubo TV are still without Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional sports networks.

About 19 of Sinclair’s RSNs, rebranded under the Bally Sports Networks name this month, went dark to YouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV customers in the fall (Fubo TV dropped the channels in January 2020), but there were hopes that the networks would return in time for opening day of the Major League Baseball regular season. That didn’t happen. 

Pricing appears to be the reason for the decision to do without the channels, and apparently there has been little movement on either side regarding negotiations. 

In addition to the Bally Sports channels, YouTube and Hulu also passed on carriage for another RSN in which Sinclair owns a minority interest -- YES Network, TV home of the New York Yankees. Marquee Sports Network, owned by the Chicago Cubs and also minority-owned by Sinclair, reached a carriage deal with Fubo TV on March 31, but still doesn’t have a deal with YouTube TV and Hulu. 

Despite the impasse, the networks have enjoyed strong ratings, according to people familiar with the channels. The YES Network, which launched a new authenticated app in March, said its opening week TV audience was its largest in nine years.

YouTube dropped the Sinclair RSNs in September, Hulu in October and Fubo TV in January 2020. Back in March, Sinclair said that it was working toward an agreement with the streamers, but so far that hasn’t been successful. Sinclair did not return a request for comment. 

Sinclair is scheduled to release its Q1 financial results on May 5, so they are likely to field a few questions about the dispute on its quarterly conference call with analysts. 

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Sinclair and the streamers haven’t met for months. And as the impasse continues, the prospect that a deal will be reached this baseball season, seems farther from reality. 

At the beginning of the month, sports consultant Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Media & Entertainment, guessed that maybe one of the streamers would reach a deal with the Sinclair RSNs, but not all of them. His reason: streamers just don’t see sports as the glue that holds the bundle together, like traditional distributors do. 

At the time, Berke said that regular season baseball would be the litmus test for the streamers. If their subscriber rolls weren’t materially affected by the loss of games, then they probably could do without the channels all-together.   

“It’s difficult to see all three of them coming back in,” Berke said a month ago. 

Today, his mind hasn’t changed. 

“I don't think it’s a good sign for the RSNs,” Berke said Friday (April 30) of the continued impasse. “That being said I don’t think a month alone will do it,” adding that baseball fans get more engaged later in the season as pennant races heat up. So there is still some time left to figure out the true impact of not carrying the networks. 

YouTube TV, Hulu and Fubo TV are not devoid of sports without the Sinclair RSNs. The vMVPDs carry ESPN and MLB Network, TBS and TNT that carry national baseball games. They just don’t have all the games of all the local professional teams, which are primarily carried on RSNs.

“They [the vMVPDs] are trying to see if that allows them to skate by,” Berke said. “You’ve got large numbers of younger fans that want to see these games through their virtual MVPDs. But if it’s not in numbers large enough or compelling enough to make them change their strategy then they are going to continue to go forward with it. The crunch point is going to be in the next couple of months.”

Sinclair purchased the RSNs in 2019 from The Walt Disney Co. for about $10 billion. Dish dropped the Sinclair RSNs in July 2019, shortly before it closed the Disney deal, and since then pay TV distributors have increasingly resisted big price increases from RSNs.  Although Sinclair has carriage deals for the RSNs with most major traditional distributors, the streaming channels, which have a younger audience, are starting to fight back.

Also Read: Sinclair RSNs Face ‘Tumultuous Period, Analyst Says 

YouTube TV has been in the news lately for a different battle with streaming box maker Roku. Today (April 30), YouTube let its Roku deal expire. 

Current YouTube TV customers would continue to be able to access their subscription via the Roku device. They just won’t be able to download the YouTube TV app from the Roku store, which would prevent new customers from signing up via Roku. Access to the free YouTube internet app would be unaffected. 

Also Read: Who Needs Roku? YouTube Already Dominates Worldwide Video 

Some fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure, with several tweeting that the Roku impasse, coupled with dropping the RSNs could be the last straw. 

“Between this and losing the regional sports channels you used to have, and that I wouldn't have switched to you if you didn't have - Fix these problems or I'm gone,” said one YouTube TV user. 

So far, Sinclair doesn’t seem to have taken the usual path of a programmer in similar disputes -- asking fans to put pressure on the distributor either by calling and emailing the distributor or switching providers. The Bally Sports Twitter feeds are mainly focused on game highlights, although Sinclair did set up a dedicated microsite -- www.getmyhometeams.com -- in December that directs fans to other providers like AT&T TV, DirecTV, and Spectrum (depending on the market) to get access to the RSNs. Sinclair has had a reputation of being an aggressive adversary in distribution disputes -- look back on any of its major retrans battles for proof of that -- so its current stance is a bit unusual. 

Whether the current battle escalates or not, Berke said a lot of the controversies that have surrounded Sinclair and other RSNs are missing the larger point, which is the erosion of the current RSN model.

“The RSN model works extremely well when cable pay TV penetration is growing or is at least stable,“ Berke said. “But it was not set up to profitably handle the retrenchment of pay TV penetration. That is what needs to be addressed. And you address that by offering up your networks to as many platforms as possible. That’s easier said than done, but it’s imperative.”

YES Network said Friday that it has averaged about 391,000 viewers for each of its first six telecasts during the opening week of the 2021 baseball season, its best showing since 2012 and comes despite being blacked out by a trio of streaming services.

YES Network has been without carriage on three top streaming services -- YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV and FuboTV for months. The regional sports network, which airs New York Yankees baseball games in the New York metro area, cited Nielsen ratings for the New York DMA. According to YES, it was the RSN’s best opening week since 2012, when Nielsen said it averaged 416,000 viewers for the first week of that season. 

That news comes after YES said its Opening Day game between the Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays broke streaming records for the channel. YES said its April 1 telecast of the game attracted 543,000 total viewers, including 72,739 unique viewers to its authenticated YES app. That made it the most streamed live game on the network ever, either on its recently launched YES app or its predecessor Fox Sports GO. 

Also Read: Bally Sports RSNs Strike Out with Streamers on Opening Day

YES went dark to YouTube TV and Hulu Live Plus TV customers in October. FuboTV dropped the channel in January. The Yankees network is available via traditional distributors like Comcast, Charter Communications, Altice USA’s Optimum, DirecTV and Verizon Fios in the New York metro area.  

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns a minority interest in YES and has been negotiating carriage talks for that channel as well as 21 former Fox Sports RSNs. Those former Fox sports channels -- rebranded under the Bally Sports name on March 31 --  also are not available on the streaming services, but Sinclair officials have said they are trying to work on a deal. 

Also Read: RSNs Scramble for Streaming Deals as Opening Day Approaches

The lack of streaming RSN programming isn’t limited to the Bally Sports Networks and YES. Sling TV, the OTT arm of satellite TV service Dish Network, which dropped the former Fox Sports RSNs in 2019, has been without Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), home of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, and three NBC Sports RSNs (NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California) since April 1.

The YES Network said Wednesday they have agreed to stream 21 New York Yankees games on Amazon Prime Video this year at no extra charge to Amazon Prime subscribers.

The games will be available in the Yankees’ home-team footprint, which includes New York state, Connecticut, northeast Pennsylvania, and north and central New Jersey, and will be simulcasts of games produced by YES airing on PIX11 and other over-the-air partners for Yankees telecasts. Fans can watch in or outside the home on hundreds of compatible Android, iOS mobile and Fire TV devices. They can also access the games by streaming from the web or by using the Prime Video app on smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, game consoles, and select smart TVs. A list of compatible devices is available here.

The first game will air on April 28, when the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays.  

The streamed games will feature X-Ray, the Amazon Prime Video feature that allows viewers streaming on Android, iOS mobile, and Fire TV devices to access live  in-game stats, real-time play-by-play information and more. Prime Video also will air a 15-minute pre-game show featuring YES Network on-air talent for the broadcasts. 

Schedule of Yankees games on Prime Video

Sunday, April 18             vs. Tampa Bay – 1:00pm

Friday, April 23               @ Cleveland – 7:00pm

Tuesday, April 27           @ Baltimore – 6:30pm

Friday, May 14               @ Baltimore – 7:00pm

Friday, May 21               vs. Chicago White Sox – 7:00pm

Saturday, May 29           @ Detroit – 4:00pm

Sunday, May 30             @ Detroit – 1:00pm

Saturday, June 12          @ Philadelphia – 4:00pm

Sunday, June 20            vs. Oakland – 1:00pm       

Friday, July 2                 vs. New York Mets – 7:00pm

Sunday, July 11             @ Houston – 2:00pm

Friday, July 23               @ Boston – 7:00pm

Tuesday, July 27            @ Tampa Bay – 7:00pm

Friday, July 30               @ Miami – 7:00pm

Sunday, Aug. 15            @ Chicago White Sox – 2:00pm

Tuesday, Aug. 17           vs. Boston – 7:00pm

Sunday, Aug. 22            vs. Minnesota – TBD

Saturday, Aug. 28          @ Oakland – 4:00pm

Friday, Sept. 17             vs. Cleveland – 7:00pm

Friday, Sept. 24              @ Boston – 7:00pm

Wednesday, Sept. 29     @ Toronto – 7:00pm

All game times ET.  Schedule subject to change.

Regional sports channel the YES Network went dark to Frontier Communications customers on Sept. 1, around the same time as customers of the troubled telco lost access to several Fox Sports regional sports networks.

YES Network, which carries games from Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, the National Basketball Association Brooklyn Nets, the Women’s NBA New York Liberty and Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, confirmed it went dark to Frontier customers on Sept 1. According to a website for YES customers, the RSN is encouraging Frontier customers to seek out other pay TV distributors to access its programming.

“We negotiated with Frontier in good faith and were eager to get a deal done, but unfortunately were unable to come to an agreement,” YES said on the website. “Frontier subscribers should switch today to one of the many providers that carry YES and its Yankees, Nets, NYCFC and Liberty games.”

While the battle with YES rages on, several Fox Sports RSNs also appear to have gone dark to Frontier customers. Fox Sports RSNs were purchased by Sinclair Broadcast Group last year (it also purchased minority interest in YES last August) and have battled with distributors in the past. 

"While we had tremendous success in renewing carriage deals that expired recently, we are disappointed that Frontier has dropped a number of our regional sports networks, leaving subscribers without access to their favorite local teams and programs," Fox Sports said in a statement. "We worked with Frontier in good faith and really wanted to get a deal done, but unfortunately they were unwilling to agree to fair terms consistent with the terms on which many other subscribers carry the RSNs. Frontier subscribers should switch today to one of the many providers that carry their favorite teams."

According to sources familiar with the sports programmer, the Frontier blackout involves all Sinclair-owned RSNs with the exception of Marquee Sports Network, the joint venture Sinclair struck with the Chicago Cubs last year. Frontier was one of the first distributors to sign up with Marquee Sports. 

In a statement, Frontier acknowledged the YES and Fox Sports blackouts, which were effective Sept. 1, adding that they too tried to reach a deal.

"Frontier worked hard to negotiate a fair deal, however, we were unable to reach an agreement," Frontier said in a statement. "Our customers are very important to us and we’ll continue to strive to provide them with the best content experience, including access to their favorite shows and content including other networks that carry sports programming on -Frontier TV. These include ABC, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN/ESPN2 /ESPN Classic/ ESPNews /ESPNU, FOX, FS1/FS2, Longhorn Network, NFL Network/NFL Red Zone, NBA TV, NBC Sports Network, NBC, NHL Network, SEC Network, TBS/Turner, and TNT. No provider is immune from network negotiations and programming removals. It was economically unsustainable for Frontier to continue carrying these regional sports networks, and ultimately it was the Network’s decision to remove their programming from our lineup." 

Frontier subscribers have taken to Twitter to voice their displeasure, including former Dallas Morning News TV critic Ed Bark, who called the impasse a deal breaker.

“Our cable provider, Frontier, has now cut Fox Sports Southwest from its lineup due to contract impasse,” Bark wrote on his Twitter feed. “This follows their removal of MLB network & Mark Cuban’s AXS TV & movie net for same reason. But haven’t cut consumer prices. Unless this is remedied soon, that’s it for me.” 

Other Frontier customers of Fox Sports RSNs, including Fox Sports Florida and Fox Sports Sun -- which carry games from MLB American League East Division leader the Tampa Bay Rays -- Fox Sports West expressed similar feelings.

Frontier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 15, and has had its reorganization plan approved by the federal court. Earlier this month it said it named former Verizon Communications executive John Stratton to be its executive chairman once the company emerges from bankruptcy protection. That is expected early in 2021. 

Frontier has had a spotty relationship with RSNs. Last year it dropped SNY, the home of MLB’s New York Mets.

Comcast and Sinclair Broadcast Group said they reached a multi-year renewal of their distribution agreement.

In addition to retransmission consent for 78 Sinclair stations in 51 markets, the new deal includes carriage of the new Marquee Network, which televises Chicago Cubs games, the YES Network, which has the New York Yankees, 18 Fox-branded regional sports networks and Tennis Channel.

Related: Comcast Makes Ninth-Inning Deal to Carry Marquee Sports

The deal comes as the baseball season is starting, enabling fans in those markets to watch games without disruption.

“With this agreement, Xfinity TV customers can continue to enjoy access to local news and sports content on Sinclair’s owned stations and networks across platforms, including on X1 – which delivers Xfinity customers an unmatched sports experience alongside on demand and streaming entertainment,” said Rebecca Heap, senior VP, Video and Entertainment, Comcast Cable.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We are pleased to continue and expand our partnership with Comcast under which we provide a broad array of valuable programming to its subscribers, including our award-winning local news and sports programming,” commented Barry Faber, Sinclair’s president of distribution & network relations. Faber continued, “Sports are an important part of Sinclair and we are pleased that Comcast’s greater Chicago customers can join the list of passionate fans that enjoy Sinclair’s local sports programming.”  

Carriage of the Marquee Network was a major concern in the Chicago market, where Comcast is the dominant cable operator.

“By including Marquee in the broader Sinclair agreement, we’re now able to give our customers access to Cubs baseball in time for the start of the season,” said John Crowley, senior VP, Comcast Cable Greater Chicago Region.

"We welcome Comcast to the Marquee family and look forward to providing their customers the very best viewing experience and commentary, as they join Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies in rooting on the Cubs pursuit of another World Series Championship,” said Mike McCarthy, VP, general manager of Marquee.

After what seemed like a reprieve in the increasingly tense carriage negotiations between YouTube TV and Sinclair Broadcast Group regional sports networks, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES), which includes Sinclair as a minority partner, said it has been dropped by the streaming video service.

“YouTube TV, for its own selfish reasons and with total disregard for its YES customers, has refused to pay the market rate and accept market terms and conditions that other YES distributors have agreed to,” YES said in a statement. “In fact, YouTube TV sought a rate that was well below what other YES distributors are paying, and because YES keeps its word to all of its distributors, it could not make the deal. When YouTube TV realized it could not get a sweetheart, below-market deal, it dropped the YES Network.”

YouTube TV appeared to avoid a blackout of several Sinclair-owned RSNs earlier this week, when after threats to drop the networks, YouTube TV agreed to an extension that would keep the channels on the service while talks continued. But even that seems to be subject to interpretation, according to a statement from YES.

[embed]https://twitter.com/TeamYouTube/status/1235541185919320070[/embed]

YES was purchased by a group including the New York Yankees, Amazon and Sinclair in August for an estimated $3.47 billion from The Walt Disney Co., which was forced to divest its RSNs as part of federal approval of its $71.3 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox assets.

[embed]https://twitter.com/YESNetwork/status/1235452211880222720[/embed]

“Sinclair, for its own reasons, elected to make a deal for some but not all of its programming services which excluded large-market RSNs featuring iconic franchises and star players,” YES continued in its statement. “The New York Yankees have made it clear to Major League Baseball and YouTube TV that the Yankees will not appear on any national games televised by YouTube TV through its national telecast agreement with Major League Baseball. We urge all of our fans to go to YESNetwork.com to see the list of other streaming services and other distributors that carry the YES Network. With YouTube TV no longer carrying YES, it appears as though YouTube TV customers will pay the same while getting less.”

[embed]https://twitter.com/EricFisherSBG/status/1235533599161462789[/embed]

YES Network said it is no longer on YouTube TV, which might signal a breakdown in talks between Sinclair Broadcast Group, which acquired a group of regional sports networks and one of the largest virtual multichannel video programming distributors.

Last week, YouTube said it would drop the 21 Sinclair RSNs and YES, but at the last minute said they would continue to appear under an extension as negotiations continued.

But Wednesday night, YES issued a statement that YouTube TV was no longer carrying the network, which was acquired from The Walt Disney Co. by a group that included the Yankees, Sinclair and Amazon.

“YouTube TV, for its own selfish reasons and with total disregard for its YES customers, has refused to pay the market rate and accept market terms and conditions that other YES distributors have agreed to," YES said in a statement. "In fact, YouTube TV sought a rate that was well below what other YES distributors are paying, and because YES keeps its word to all of its distributors, it could not make the deal. When YouTube TV realized it could not get a sweetheart, below-market deal, it dropped the YES Network.” 

YES earlier this week announced that some Yankee games would be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Those games would also be broadcast on WPIX-TV in New York.

But it appeared that some of Sinclair’s other RSNs were dark on YouTube TV, but not all of them.

“Sinclair, for its own reasons, elected to make a deal for some but not all of its programming services which excluded large-market RSNs featuring iconic franchises and star players. The New York Yankees have made it clear to Major League Baseball and YouTube TV that the Yankees will not appear on any national games televised by YouTube TV through its national telecast agreement with Major League Baseball,” YES said. “We urge all of our fans to go to YESNetwork.com to see the list of other streaming services and other distributors that carry the YES Network. With YouTube TV no longer carrying YES, it appears as though YouTube TV customers will pay the same while getting less.”

Spokespeople for YouTube and Sinclair did not respond to requests for information.

The New York Yankees and the YES Network have agreed to live stream 21 Yankees baseball games on Amazon Prime Video, beginning with an April 17 match against the Cincinnati Reds.

The games will be made available for free to Amazon Prime members throughout the Yankees home-team footprint in New York, Connecticut, north and central New Jersey and northeast Pennsylvania. The games will be simulcasts of games produced by YES for broadcaster WPIX New York and other Yankees’ over-the-air partners.

“We understand that fans are consuming content in a variety of different ways, and we believe our unique partnership with Amazon represents an exciting development in the realm of live sports,” said Yankees Global Enterprises CEO Hal Steinbrenner in a press release.

The telecasts will feature Amazon’s X-Ray technology, which allows fans streaming on Android, iOS mobile, and Fire TV to access live in-game stats, team and player details, and real-time play-by-play information as they watch. The Prime Video app is available on smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire tablet, Apple TV, Chromecast, game consoles, Comcast X1, or from the web.

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the value of a Prime membership for our customers, and we believe Yankees fans are going to love having a selection of games on Prime Video this season,” said Amazon Global Sports Video vice president Marie Donoghue in a press release. “We want to give Prime members access to the broadest selection of content across the broadest number of devices, and this deal gives Prime Video the opportunity to work with the top regional sports network in America and one of the most beloved franchises in all of sports.”

Amazon is no stranger to sports. In 2017 it secured the streaming rights to NFL Thursday Night Football, and is a minority partner in the YES Network. The streamer also carries MLB.tv as a separate subscription service.

“We are excited about teaming up with the New York Yankees and Amazon to make these 21 over-the-air games available through Prime Video,” said YES Network CEO Jon Litner in a press release. “As consumption habits among Yankees fans continue to evolve, we’re embracing new and innovative technologies to enhance the viewer experience.”

Here is the schedule of games set to stream on Prime Video:

Friday, April 17 Cincinnati 7:00 pm

Tuesday, April 21 @Detroit 6:30 pm

Saturday, April 25 Cleveland 1:00 pm

Friday, May 8 Boston 7:00 pm

Friday, May 15 @Houston 8:00 pm

Friday, May 22 Seattle 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 23 Seattle 1:00 pm

Wednesday, May 27 Minnesota 7:00 pm

Sunday, June 21 @Minnesota 2:00 pm

Wednesday, June 24 Baltimore 7:00 pm

Tuesday, June 30 @Baltimore 7:00 pm

Wednesday, July 22 Angels 7:00 pm

Friday, July 24 Boston 7:00 pm

Wednesday, July 29 @Mets 7:00 pm

Monday, August 10 @Kansas City 8:00 pm

Friday, August 21 Toronto 7:00 pm

Friday, August 28 @Cleveland 7:00 pm

Thursday, September 10 Boston 7:00 pm

Sunday, September 20 @Toronto 1:00 pm

Wednesday, September 23 Houston 7:00 pm

Friday, September 25 Tampa Bay 7:00 pm

The New York Yankees, Amazon Prime Video and the YES Network said they plan to stream 21 regular-season Yankees baseball games on prime video.

The games will be available at no additional cost to Prime subscribers. The games will be simulcasts of games produced by and airing on WPIX-TV, New York.

Amazon was one of the investors when The Walt Disney Co. sold YES Network to a group led by the Yankees and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Related: YouTubeTV Drops Sinclair's Regional Sports Nets

“We understand that fans are consuming content in a variety of different ways, and we believe our unique partnership with Amazon represents an exciting development in the realm of live sports,” said Hal Steinbrenner, CEO, Yankee Global Enterprises. “We are committed to exploring new ideas and delivering an array of top-quality viewing options, as well as accompanying new innovations, such as Amazon’s X-Ray technology feature, which will make in-game stats, team and player details, and play-by-play information readily accessible in real-time during the games on Prime Video.”

The games will feature Amazon’s X-Ray technology will give fans access to in-game stats, information about players and real-time play-by-play information.

Related: Sinclair Closes Acquisition of Regional Sports Networks

“We are always looking for ways to enhance the value of a Prime membership for our customers, and we believe Yankees fans are going to love having a selection of games on Prime Video this season,” said Marie Donoghue, VP of global sports video at Amazon. “We want to give Prime members access to the broadest selection of content across the broadest number of devices, and this deal gives Prime Video the opportunity to work with the top regional sports network in America and one of the most beloved franchises in all of sports.”

“We are excited about teaming up with the New York Yankees and Amazon to make these 21 over-the-air games available through Prime Video,” added Jon Litner, CEO, YES Network. “As consumption habits among Yankees fans continue to evolve, we’re embracing new and innovative technologies to enhance the viewer experience.”

Here is the schedule of games on Prime Video

Friday, April 17                         Cincinnati             7:00 pm

Tuesday, April 21                     @Detroit              6:30 pm

Saturday, April 25                     Cleveland             1:00 pm

Friday, May 8                           Boston                 7:00 pm

Friday, May 15                         @Houston           8:00 pm

Friday, May 22                         Seattle                 7:00 pm

Saturday, May 23                     Seattle                 1:00 pm

Wednesday, May 27                 Minnesota            7:00 pm

Sunday, June 21                      @Minnesota        2:00 pm

Wednesday, June 24                Baltimore             7:00 pm

Tuesday, June 30                     @Baltimore          7:00 pm

Wednesday, July 22                   Angels                 7:00 pm

Friday, July 24                         Boston                 7:00 pm

Wednesday, July 29                   @Mets                7:00 pm

Monday, August 10                  @Kansas City      8:00 pm

Friday, August 21                     Toronto                7:00 pm

Friday, August 28                     @Cleveland         7:00 pm

Thursday, September 10          Boston                 7:00 pm

Sunday, September 20             @Toronto            1:00 pm

Wednesday, September 23       Houston               7:00 pm

Friday, September 25               Tampa Bay          7:00 pm

YouTube TV said it would be dropping the Fox Sports regional networks, which were acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group last year.

The move, which also impacts YES Network, in which Sinclair bought a stake, is effective Feb. 29. Sinclair is also trying to get carriage for Marquee Sports Network, its joint venture with the Chicago Cubs.

In a series of tweets, YouTube TV said that the move reflects the rising cost of sports networks. It also noted that other pay TV outlets have also dropped RSNs. Dish Network was among the first to drop the Sinclair-owned RSNs and there is no sign that it plans to bring them back.

“To bring you 70+ channels, we have contracts with content owners that are periodically renegotiated. Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Fox Regional Sports Networks and YES Network, is one of the largest owners of local TV stations in the U.S.,” YouTube TV said.

RELATED: Outlook Uncertain for RSN Business Overall

“We purchase rights from Sinclair to distribute content to you. Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair. As a result, we will no longer offer Fox Regional Sports Networks, including YES Network, beginning February 29th,” YouTube TV said.

“We do not take this decision lightly. This is a reflection of the rising cost of sports content. You may have noticed several other TV services have also decided to remove Fox Regional Sports Networks from their lineups,” it said. “Thank you for your membership as we strive to build the best possible streaming experience for you. You will receive an email today if you’re impacted by this change.”

RELATED: Marquee Sports Network Steps Up to the Plate

On the YES Network website, the RSN said “we hope that we can reach an agreement with YouTube TV. However, based on the discussions we have had to date, we are not optimistic”

YES Network told subscribers there were other pay-TV services they could switch to in order to keep getting the network.

“There are other streaming services that offer the YES Network, including Yankees and Nets games, and these services are easy to sign up for, in a matter of minutes,” YES said.

For more stories like this, visit our sister website Next TV.

The New York Yankees completed a deal to acquire the remaining 80% interest in the regional sports network that bears its name — the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network — teaming up with online retailer Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group in a deal valued at about $3.47 billion.

Officially, YES Network was purchased by Yankee Global Enterprises, which includes the team and strategic partners Sinclair and Amazon from The Walt Disney Co. Additional equity investments were provided by RedBird Capital, funds managed by Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities business and Mubadala Capital.

Sinclair said it paid about $346 million for a 20% interest in the network through its Diamond Sports Group subsidiary.

“We are excited about partnering with such a renowned franchise as the New York Yankees,” Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley said in a press release. “With this investment, we will have 23 RSN brands, including Marquee with the iconic Chicago Cubs, and 21 RSN brands acquired from the Walt Disney Company last week.”

According to New York Yankees president Randy Levine, the team has a 26% interest in the YES Network, while Amazon has a 15% stake with the right to go higher. The remaining 39% is split fairly evenly between RedBird, Blackstone and Mubadala.

The YES Network was one of 22 RSNs controlled by 21st Century Fox that were sold to Disney as part of a larger deal for certain assets valued at $71.3 billion. As part of the federal approval process for that deal, Disney agreed to divest the networks, selling 21 of them to Sinclair earlier this year for about $9.6 billion. The YES Network was separated from that sale because the Yankees had the right of first refusal to purchase Fox’s 80% stake.

Speculation that the Yankees had enlisted the help of Amazon and Sinclair has been rampant for months. Thursday’s announcement basically confirms those earlier reports.

In addition to Yankees games, YES Network offers content from the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. The RSN is the most watched RSN in the country, according to the channel.

“This transaction brings the YES Network and all of its popular programming even closer to the organization that inspired its very development,” said Yankee Global Enterprises CEO Hal Steinbrenner in a press release. “Along with our partners, we look forward to greatly expanding the way that sports content is delivered and consumed by fans everywhere.”

Sinclair, which also owns The Tennis Channel in addition to the former Fox RSNs, will work closely with YES to manage traditional and virtual distribution relationships. Current YES Network president Jon Litner will remain in that role. 

It is hard to imagine that the 22 regional sports networks Disney is acquiring in the 21st Century Fox transaction are heading to auction in search of foster homes. This is the largest sports transaction in the history of modern business with a value well over $20 billion (Guggenheim Partners estimates $22 billion while others portend a quick selling discount). Further, It's the most expensive sports property to come available, even if it is 20 individual markets serving up 40 professional teams.

Related: Books Out on Fox RSNs 

Having witnessed first-hand the focus that Fox displayed in aggregating these valuable assets in the late 90's, then creating efficiencies across their collective national footprint, it's hard to believe it's all over now. The chance that one owner of all 22 networks will emerge is slim to none. In its place, a collection of competing interests will likely send RSNs scattering in multiple directions. Plenty of other business journalists have written about who has what to gain and the potential leverage they can create by grabbing at least some of these, but the truth is, times have changed. Much like a great but aging champion who has lost a step, their outside shot, bat speed or simply the nerve, so too have these once mighty RSN viewing magnets.

I grew up working in sports television and when the deal was first announced I was downright exhilarated at the prospect of ESPN actually owning and operating all 22 of these networks. The thought of these RSNs coursing through the veins of the mothership in Bristol, Conn., was exciting. ESPN has always had servicing the fan as the core mission and I absolutely believed a comprehensive sports service from the Worldwide Leader could be pro-consumer. Further, with Disney's majority stake in Major League Baseball's Advanced Media platform, it could have delivered a superior and elegant sports offering. Alas, it was never Disney's game plan and taking these RSNs as part of the 21st Century deal was probably forced by the Murdochs.... which leads us to the Hot Potato auction we now have... Here, you take them!

The strong and proven teams will take care of their own houses. YES Network will head back to their Bronx, N.Y. birthplace, the Cubs will launch their own long dreamt RSN and Guggenheim Partners (and/or Charter-Spectrum) may very well use the Los Angeles RSNs to cure their Dodger distribution woes. It's also highly likely the powerhouse private equity groups have recruited the gray hairs who first built the RSN business and will choose a broadcast partner (or partners) to leverage the other RSNs. Finally, the idea that FAANG scoops these up as a way to promote their varied interests seems too otherworldly for this aged industry observer: Buy a new iPhone XS Max and get your local RSN free? Amazon Prime Sports Plus+, maybe ?

Related: Yankees Said to Be In Talks To Buy Out Other YES Network Holders 

Perhaps the executives at Fenway Sports Group have the best model as they've grown the long dominant and independent New England Sports Network into the centerpiece of a powerful ownership group with multiple interests across the sports ecosystem. There very well could be an expansion strategy on the horizon led by the master RSN craftsmen of NESN. One group however appears committed to staying on the sidelines and out of this auction fray: Comcast-NBC Sports. With a strategic collection of 8 RSNs that synch-up to their Xfinity cable markets, it appears they're content and will instead focus on their pending Sky acquisition... At least until such time as a new RSN ownership group comes knocking with an old RSN play... the Joint Venture.

Yes, there will be a plethora of pro-formas and various visions of leverage in play as RSN draft day draws closer. But my parting thought is that when it's all said and done, the consumer will be more in charge than ever. More to the point, do the hometown fans who built the RSNs still care enough to spend 3+ hours watching a major league baseball game, NBA super-teams, or those NHL players who battle with such heart but enjoy only fractional RSN audiences?

More critical, as cord cutting trends continue depleting the once-mighty cable and satellite television subscriber universe, will fans fully abandon the RSNs and grow their habit for snacking on sports via social media?

It is quite the curious case indeed but the new cast members for the RSN Redux are just an auction away.

Matt Cacciato is a former affiliate distribution executive for SportsChannel NY, ESPN, Fox and YES Network. He's currently Director, Masters of Sports Administration program and Executive in Residence at Ohio University. He can be reached at cacciato@ohio.edu.

Cable networks, plagued by sagging ratings and lower affiliate fees as consumers shifted to over-the-top and online viewing options, could be in for a rebound in the calendar fourth quarter. But analysts warn that the volatile political climate — which helped drive news networks to new heights in the just-passed presidential election — could also depress results for general entertainment channels.

Several top cable programmers are expected to release earnings results next week, with most analysts encouraged by the prospects for top names like 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Co.

Fox is expected to be first out of the gate, releasing fiscal second quarter results today (Feb. 6). The home to perennial ratings winner Fox News Channel, general entertainment powerhouse FX, several regional sports channels and FS1 should have a strong fiscal second quarter, driven by strong ratings for Fox News and the sports channels.

Morgan Stanley media analyst Ben Swinburne estimated Fox’s cable networks should report revenue of $3.96 billion in the fiscal second quarter, up 7% from $3.70 billion in the prior year. Broadcast-TV revenue — driven by an expected 5% hike in advertising sales — should rise 8.8% to $1.85 billion from $1.7 billion in the prior year, Swinburne wrote in a research note.

Cash flow for the cable channels also should be up nicely in the period, according to Swinburne. He predicted that cable network EBITDA would rise 8.3% to $1.3 billion from $1.2 billion in the prior year, while cash flow at the broadcast division should grow by 27% to $353.6 million from $279 million.

COMCAST RENEWAL BENEFITS

Swinburne was encouraged by recent renewal deals with Comcast, which included the return of its YES Network RSN to the operator after a one-year hiatus. Some of Fox’s smaller networks, like Fox Sports 2 and FXM, could also add to growth as their subscriber penetration increases.

Credit Suisse media analyst Omar Sheikh ratedFox his top pick for the year, saying in a recent note that the company’s plan to acquire the remaining interest in U.K. satellite giant Sky it doesn’t already own has removed the M&A discount from the stock and allowed the programmer to focus on organic growth.

Fox News Channel, currently President Trump’s favorite news network, has been riding a wave of ratings growth well past the November election. But what’s good for Fox may not be so for the rest of the cable henhouse. General entertainment networks could feel the pain as viewers are glued to news channels to watch the latest controversy involving the new presidential administration.

That could serve as a blow to programmers that compete directly with news programs, like Discovery Communications, according to Sheikh.

“We expect the political news cycle to remain strong through at least the first half of 2017, driving viewership at major news networks (e.g. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC),” Sheikh wrote. “These networks directly compete with seven of Discovery’s networks for the audience of adults 25-54, therefore strength in news will further pressure Discovery’s domestic ratings, in our view.”

He noted that analysts’ consensus estimates for Discovery’s domestic ad-revenue growth are flat to 1%, and could be even lower.

“We believe there could be some downside risks to this,” he wrote.

UPSIDE SEEN FOR ESPN

Surprisingly, the analysts were bullish on Disney, which has taken it on the chin as subscribers have fled from its flagship sports network ESPN. In his report, Swinburne estimated that ESPN’s could be in for a reprieve from its 2% annual subscriber erosion over the past three years.

“We believe risk now skews to the upside,” Swinburne wrote, adding that skinny bundles and online video distributors — the two businesses many blame for ESPN’s subscriber decline — could be catalysts for growth.

“We believe the combination of moderating skinny-bundle headwinds and the emergence of new, low-priced streaming options create opportunities for incremental ESPN distribution,” he wrote.

Swinburne was also optimistic the Worldwide Leader in Sports will continue to grow affiliate fees in the next renewal cycle, beginning in 2018, largely because of new distribution players.

“We also believe new entrants (such as Hulu Live or YouTube Unplugged) will pay premium affiliate fees, suggesting a positive mix shift tailwind to rate,” Swinburne wrote.

Disney has said it plans to launch a standalone over-the-top ESPN offering using sports rights it currently owns but can’t monetize on its existing networks. While few details have been released about the service, which is expected to debut later this year, Swinburne believes it can coexist with ESPN’s existing linear networks.

“It remains a time of transition at Disney, as it evolves its ESPN/ABC distribution model to attempt to reach consumers that have been opting out of the pay TV bundle,” Swinburne wrote. “We expect the a la carte and bundled offerings will coexist for a long time, creating more earnings stability than the market presumes.”

VIACOM ON THE BOUNCE?

Swinburne upgraded the entire programming sector last week to “attractive,” slapping “overweight” ratings on Disney, Fox and even Viacom, which has experienced the greatest impact from the shift to mobile and online viewing. Swinburne believes that after a period of management upheaval and disappointing results, Viacom, which reports its fiscal first quarter results on Feb. 9, has nowhere to go but up.

“We believe new management has about a year before any significant renewals to try and improve the programming and ratings trajectory, notably for MTV,” Swinburne wrote, adding that Viacom’s biggest EBITDA contributor, kids’ network Nickelodeon, has shown healthy growth over the past year.

But not everyone was quite as optimistic. Sanford Bernstein media analyst Todd Juenger, who rightly predicted the linear network ratings declines years ago, foresees a difficult period for pay TV.

“We see no evidence of fundamental trends to support a view that things are getting less worse,” Juenger wrote last week, adding that pay TV subscribers and conventional TV audiences continue to fall while subscription VOD services like Netflix gain viewers.

“All the media Bulls are clinging to is: hope,” Juenger wrote. “Hope on macro/political (tax rates, GDP). Hope that OTT launches will slow the rate of sub decline. Hope for M&A.”

Fox Sports said it has named sports industry veteran Jon Litner president of the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, taking over for Tracey Dolgin, who stepped down earlier this year.

Litner has held a several top jobs in regional and national sports networks, most recently serving as president of NBC Sports Group, responsible for the eight NBC Regional Sports Networks and Golf Channel.  Litner has also served as president of SportsNet NY (SNY) and executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Hockey League.

Litner will report to Fox Sports Regional Networks president Jeff Krolik and will assume his position immediately at the YES Network headquarters in New York City. 

“We are truly pleased to welcome an executive with Jon's talent, experience and outstanding record of accomplishment,” Krolik said in a statement.  “We have every confidence that Jon will build on the YES Network's remarkable level of success.”

Dolgin stepped down as president of YES in June, becoming non-executive chairman of the network. YES said Dolgin will continue in that role, pursuing strategic initiatives for YES and its owners as well as personal opportunities.

“Jon is an excellent choice for this crucial role,” said New York Yankees President Randy Levine  in a statement. “He has been a real leader in the sports industry in general and in the regional sports network space in particular, and is a great fit for our YES partnership with FOX.”

About two months after announcing beta-testing for its new multistream service, SlingTV has renamed the offering “Sling Blue,” making it widely available to customers and adding broadcast and cable channels from NBC Universal to the package.

Sling debuted the multistream service in April, beta-testing the package in the New York area. The package, which has more than 40 channels, was different from earlier Sling TV offerings in that it included broadcast, cable and regional sports networks like YES Network from Fox.

Sling TV said Sling Blue is no longer in beta and is available for $25 per month. It’s original package, renamed Sling Orange, is still priced at $20 per month and now includes BBC America.

In addition, Sling TV is offering a $5 monthly discount for customers who take both packages, making the combined price $40 per month.

Sling Blue, in addition to the Fox networks, now has NBC broadcast stations in 10 markets --  Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Hartford, Conn., Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego and Washington D.C. In addition, NBCU pay TV channels USA, Bravo, NBC Sports Network and Syfy are available. Other RSNs for other markets – Comcast SportsNet California, Bay Area, Chicago and Mid-Atlantic -- are coming soon.

“Consumers now have more than 100 channels to choose from as they customize their ideal television experience,” said Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch n a statement. “With our new multiservice option and NBC Universal programming, Sling is one of the few pay-TV options where value continues to improve.”

Customers will also have access to additional channels in genre-specific packages, for an additional charge. They are:

Sling Blue Extra Packs
Sling TV launched new networks across its Sling Blue Extras, each priced at $5 per month:

• “Sports Extra” (New Extra Pack) – Golf Channel joins beIN Sports, Outside TV and Univision Deportes
• “Lifestyle Plus Extra” – E!, Oxygen and Vibrant TV join VH1, Cooking Channel, DIY, FYI, WE tv and LMN
• “World News Extra” – BBC World News, CNBC and MSNBC join HLN, euronews, France 24, News18, NDTV 24/7 and RT Network
• “Best of Spanish TV” – NBCUniverso joins 24 other Spanish and bilingual channels
• All other Extras for Sling Blue remain unchanged

Sling Orange Extra Packs
Sling TV launched new networks across its Sling Orange Extras, each priced at $5 per month:

• “Lifestyle Plus Extra” – Vibrant TV joins VH1, BET, Cooking Channel, DIY, FYI, WE tv and LMN
• “World News Extra” – BBC World News joins HLN, euronews, France 24, News18, NDTV 24x7, Fusion and RT Network

Sling TV also announced simplified pricing for its Latino packages, which are now available as standalone packages for $10 per month. Customers who subscribe to Best of Spanish TV may add any regional Sling Latino pack for $5 more per month. Sling TV Latino also added a new regional Caribe pack, which features popular content from Cuba, Puerto Rico and later, the Dominican Republic. CARIBE includes CUBAMAX TV and WAPA América and is available for $10 per month when purchased as a standalone package, or for $5 per month when added to a Sling Orange, Sling Blue or Best of Spanish TV package.

CenturyLink's Prism TV today (April 19) launched Prism Sports Plus, a package of six full-time channels and five part-time services for $8.99 per month. New additions to the Prism TV lineup via the tier are Fox-distributed YES Network and Fox Soccer Plus; ESPN's Bases Loaded (baseball), Buzzer Beater (basketball) and Goal Line (football) college-sports live look-in services; MLB Strike Zone, the pro-baseball look-in service; Anthem Media's Fight Network and Fantasy Sports Network; equestrian-focused Ride TV and international-focused One World Sports.

NFL Red Zone, the pro football look-in service that Prism TV had offered for a $64.99 annual fee, also is included in the new sports package, an increasingly popular way for multichannel distributors to increase their sports-programming quotient without adding to expanded-basic programming charges.

Anthem and One World Sports put out press releases announcing their additions onto Prism TV, the IP-based service that ended 2015 with a reported 285,000 customers amid a possible universe of 3.2 million homes.

The telco has launched Prism TV in markets including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Seattle; LaCrosse and Platteville, Wisc.; Columbia and Jefferson City, Mo.; Tallahassee and central and southwest Florida; Las Vegas; central North Carolina; Phoenix; Omaha, Neb.; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Portland, Ore., and Salt Lake City. Some markets will see the Sports Plus service launch on May 20, CenturyLink said. All services have launched in high-definition format in addition to standard definition.

RELATED:Opening Day in Doubt in N.Y., L.A. [subscription required]

As dark clouds surrounded the New York area Monday, postponing the New York Yankees Opening Day game with the Houston Astros until Tuesday (April 5), hopes were even dimmer that the extra day could help unlock the impasse in negotiations between Comcast and the regional sports network that carries the games – the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network.

Cold, rainy weather  threatened the New York area on Monday, forcing Yankee Stadium to roll out the tarp and hope for better conditions Tuesday. On the YES Network website, the regional sports network said the game would be rescheduled  to April 5 at 1:05 p.m., and would be broadcast on the channel, “except in areas serviced by Comcast.”

Representatives from both Comcast and YES Network said there are no current carriage talks between the two. Comcast has about 900,000 subscribers in parts of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Tuesday’s contest is expected to be a rematch of the 2015 American League Wild Card game, pitting Yankees fire-balling right-hander Masahiro Tanaka against Astros 2015 Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.  The Astros won the AL Wild Card last year, only to be defeated in the Divisional matchup by eventual World Series winner the Kansas City Royals.

YES and Comcast have been embroiled in a carriage dispute since November. The YES/Comcast imbroglio is mirrored on the West Coast as operators other than Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications and Bright House Networks (all expected to merge shortly) have passed at carrying the regional sports channel – SportsNetLA – that airs the Los Angeles Dodgers. In both disputes, the high price of the networks is considered the main sticking point in negotiations.    

The Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network turned up the heat a notch in its ongoing carriage dispute with Comcast, enlisting top New York Yankees players like CC Sabathia in TV spots urging fans to switch cable providers and even offering customers a few choice words to ask the cable provider when they call to cancel service.

Comcast dropped YES in November after what it called the regional sports network’s demands for an exorbitant price increase. The blackout affects about 900,000 Comcast customers in the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Earlier this month, a group of 30 Connecticut state legislators wrote a letter to Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and YES CEO Tracy Dolgin to settle their differences and bring the network back to Comcast customers.

YES began a campaign earlier this month to inform Yankees fans of the dispute and to urge them to switch providers if they want to see the team’s Opening day contest, scheduled for April 4. the network has enlisted a few top Yankees in TV spots and print ads, including third baseman Alex Rodriquez, pitcher Dellin Betances and the latest, pitcher CC Sabathia.

In the spot, Sabathia tells viewers he’s getting ready for another exciting season of Yankees baseball, “But if you’re a Comcast Xfinity customer, you will not be able to watch any of the Yankees’ games this season.”

On its website – keepyesnetwork.com – the channel also offers links for customers to get YES from another provider, call Comcast and keep up with news around the blackout. In addition, the channel offers a list of seven questions to ask the distributor when it calls to drop service. Here are a few:

• “So you’ve made ‘steady improvements’ to your customer service but you dropped Yes Network, my rates went up and I’m going to miss the Yankees on YES this season !?!?
• “So you’ll keep the Mets on SNY, a network Comcast owns, but have no problem taking my Yankees away? That’s so wrong!”
• “Fans who receive YES Network through their provider can stream games on their mobile device for free. How come Comcast isn’t providing that option for me?”  

Derek Jeter's last season for the New York Yankees helped the club's regional sports network become the most-watched of those services in the nation for the 11th time in 12 years.

YES Network rang up double-digit gains in both primetime and total-day within the New York DMA during 2014.

YES’ scored a 16% rise in average primetime delivery to 58,000 households in the DMA from Dec. 20, 2013 through Dec. 28, 2014, up from 50,000 during Nielsen's 2013. According to YES officials, that was 23% more than the second-most-watched RSN in the country.

On the demo watch, YES registered advances of 22% and 16% among men 25 to 54 and persons of that age, respectively.

Measured on a total-day basis, the RSN, which also televises Brooklyn Nets' NBA games, posted a 10% gain to 23,000 households in 2014,, an average that was 44% great than the RSN runner-up. Deliveries for men 18 to 49 and persons 18 to 49 climbed at 17% and 13% clips in 204.

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For their part, Yankees' game telecasts grew 15% to 223,000 New York DMA households from 194,000 in the 2013 campaign. Demo growth was ever greater: men 25 to 54 improved 28%; men 18+ jumped 20%; adults 25 to 54 increased 20%; persons 2+ were ahead 18%; and persons 18 and older moved up 17%.

Bronx Bombers' support programming also connected in 2014:  the pregame shows rose 25% to 45,000 from 36,000 in 2013, while post-game coverage advanced 23% to 86,000 from 70,000.

Yankees Batting Practice Today on YES enjoyed a 6% year-over-year increase to 18,000 in 2014 from 17,000.

Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium last Sept. 25 -- the captain delivered a game-winning single to right in the bottom of the ninth -- was the most-viewed program ever on the YES Network, averaging a 10.84 rating and 1.25 million viewers in the New York DMA.  The game telecast peaked at 1.99 million viewers from 10:15 to 10:30 p.m. (ET)  and a16.55 average rating, making it  the most-viewed quarter-hour in YES’ history 

·     

YES officials believe the Jeterian Yankee Stadium finale is the most-watched game in the history of RSNs.

With all of its regionals that have team deals now live-streaming NBA games in-market, Fox Sports Net has begun to promote the pro hoops TV Everywhere experience with local marketing activities.  

Fox Sports Wisconsin last week tipped off promotional support for the availability of live-streaming of Milwaukee Bucks contests to authenticated subscribers, according to a Fox Sports spokeswoman. Similarly, Fox Sports Indiana, home to the NBA Pacers, this week will initiate a marketing campaign alerting viewers that they can access streamed simulcasts of the RSN’s coverage at Fox Sports Go.com or through Android or iOS-supported devices. Upon signing on with Fox Sports Go, authenticated subscribers can then watch the NBA team that is available through their pay-TV package. 

After testing the technology with a number of distributors and a handful of clubs last season, all 17 of Fox Sports Net's regional sports networks with NBA team deals are now streaming the contests, as well as pre- and post-game fare, in-market, including YES Network.

As part of the Fox Sports Go offering, the RSN, which televises Brooklyn Nets games, launched the service to Time Warner Cable customers on Oct. 29 with the team's 2014-15 season opener against the Boston Celtics (pictured). Cablevision subscribers gained streaming entry last week. YES is also streaming encores of the team’s telecasts, Nets Magazine, The Michael Kay Show and some college basketball.

Like the other FSN regionals, the YES simulcasts feature commercials from the telecasts themselves. Fox Sports originally included “slates” in the pods. The spokeswoman said the company is working on integrating dynamic ad insertion to the mix, with an eye toward streaming distinct spots during the second half of the season.

The six Comcast SportsNet regionals that have launched NBA in-market streaming are running separate ads from the RSNs’ TV schedules.

MSG Network has announced it will commence streaming New York Knicks games in December. 

DirecTV Sports Networks president Patrick Crumb in a recent interview said his group has reached an agreement with the NBA for in-market streaming, and hopes to offer TVE service for the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets sometime later this season.

Thus far, Fox Sports has inked NBA TVE deals for its RSNs with Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Cox and Cablevision, AT&T U-verse, Suddenlink, Wide Open West and MidContinent Cable. Negotiations continue with other key distributors: Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network and Verizon FiOS.

The addition of Time Warner Cable has bolstered the TVE streaming presence for a number of NBA teams, including Milwaukee. FSN Wisconsin is now running promos for the service during pre-, post- and in-game Bucks telecasts. Announcements are also delivered over the public address at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, where Fox Sports Girls have also demonstrated how the Fox Sports Go app works.

A similar plan will be executed for the Pacers this week and then be extended to various RSNs over the course of the season, according to the Fox spokeswoman.

The New York Yankees will pay tribute to Derek Jeter on Sunday and YES Network will be along for The Captain’s ride.

The regional sports network home to the Yankees will present a special Jeter pre-game show at noon, featuring tributes from fellow MLBers, other athletes and celebrities and culminating with coverage of the live ceremony from the big ballpark in The Bronx.

YES at 1 p.m. will follow with its presentation of the rubber match of the three-game set against the Kansas City Royals.

After the ballgame, YES will serve up Derek Jeter: Salute2 The Captain, a two-hour special that will showcase Meredith Marakovits’ sitdown with the future Hall of Famer, who will talk about his favorite teammates and his toughest opponents, as well as discuss his image and his career.

The special will also include “Jeter's Journey,” a feature reported and narrated by Jack Curry with interviews with people who played major roles in Jeter's development: Yankee executive Gene Michael; Mike Hinga (Jeter's summer travel baseball coach); Gary Denbo (his minor league coach); former Yankees first base coach Brian Butterfield; and ex-teammate Luis Sojo.

There will also be tributes from MLB players, stars from other sports, and other celebrities

Vignettes, highlighting Jeter's top career moments, are also on tap: “The Dive”; his first career hit, 3,000th, passing Gehrig on all-time Yankees hit list; "Mr. November"; and Jeffrey Maier, among them.

The show will also feature a review of the gifts he has received from opponents throughout this seaon

Bob Lorenz, Jack Curry and John Flaherty will be in the YES studio, and Michael Kay, Paul O'Neill, David Cone and Meredith Marakovits will be at the Stadium.