AT&T SportsNet Southwest Rebranding as ‘Space City Home Network’ as Ownership of Channel Changes Hands
Warner Bros. Discovery appears to have taken yet another step towards its goal of divesting itself of its regional sports networks (RSNs) by the end of this year. One of those RSNs is AT&T Sportsnet Southwest, which KHOU 11 reports is rebranding itself as “Space City Home Network.”
The report indicates the Space City Home Network trademark application was filed on July 6. The channel will host games from the NBA’s Houston Rockets as well as the MLB’s Houston Astros. According to reporting from Chron, the teams themselves will also be the owners of the new channel, and if the sale from WBD is not already final it soon will be.
The trademark application covers streaming options in addition to linear TV broadcasts, so it’s possible the Astros and Rockets will come together to launch an in-market Space City Home Network streaming service to allow in-market customers to watch games without a cable subscription. Other NBA teams like the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz have done exactly that after both of those teams left their former RSN home this offseason.
The Houston-based sports teams did not decide, as some other major league outfits have done when departing an RSN this year, to put their games on local broadcast channels instead. The clubs could make a higher profit by keeping their games on cable, but they must now negotiate with cable providers directly to secure the best deals for keeping Space City Home Network on the air.
WBD has that same issue with its cable channels TNT and TBS and is currently taking steps toward offering more of its sports via streaming. The company is reportedly looking to start showing live sports on Max during this year's MLB playoffs, and they’ll be free on the service until early 2024 as plans currently stand.
Although companies like Diamond Sports Group whose primary business is operating RSNs are continuing to fight for survival, its likely that more professional sports teams will be getting their broadcast rights back in the next few years; the current financial instability of the RSN model all but guarantees it. Though, like the Rockets and Astros, teams will try to keep disruptions for fans to a minimum as they rebrand channels and launch local streaming options.