Warner Bros. Discovery Planning To Leave RSN Business - Pirates and Pens Need to Find a New Home

[Rellimie]

Warner Bros. Discovery, the owner of AT&T SportsNet and a minority shareholder of Root Sports, has informed teams it’ll cease participating in the regional sports network business, according to reports from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal and Joe Flint of the Wall Street Journal. WBD has local broadcasting agreements with a handful of teams in MLB, the NBA and the NHL...

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/02/ ... m=facebook



According to Dejan Kovacevic, the Pirates made about 40mm per year with their TV contract. That sounds about what others have estimated.

[Dan_Stonerook]

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pir ... 2302240049

The Pirates, per FanGraphs’ latest estimate, receive $44 million from AT&T SportsNet as part of the club’s most recent deal, signed in 2019.

Citing sources, Sports Business Journal pegged the value of the Pirates’ TV to around $60 million per year, a significant bump from FanGraphs’ projection.

An almost $20 million a year difference probably gets Reynolds signed long term and locks down a few other guys.

[Rellimie]

If they managed to get 20 million more it could lock down Reynolds and maybe 1 other.

Unfortunately, the Pirates have little leverage in this since broadcasters know they are desperate. I wouldn’t be shocked if they end up with less.