YES Taps UPN for Yankees Broadcasts

The New York Yankees will be hitting home runs on a new broadcast outlet.

Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network Wednesday reached a multiyear agreement with the Fox Television Station group to distribute Yankees games on Fox owned-and-operated WWOR UPN9.

The deal will move up to 21 Yankees telecasts to UPN from WCBS-TV, which has carried Yankees games since 2001, YES officials said. Last season, CBS averaged a 7.0 rating for 20 games.

UPN9 will air a majority of its games on Friday evenings, featuring contests against such teams as the world champion Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. WNYW FOX5 also airs several afternoon Yankees games via the Fox Network’s “Saturday Game of the Week” national agreement.

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.