Sinclair “Disappointed” That YouTube TV Will No Longer Carry RSNs, But Remain In Discussions For Their Return
Last night, we learned that starting on October 1st, YouTube TV will no longer carry Fox Sports Regional Sports Networks.
Barry Faber, Sinclair’s President Distribution & Network Relations, said “While we are disappointed that YouTube will discontinue carriage of the RSNs, we remain in discussions in an effort to find a mutually acceptable path to returning the RSNs to YouTube TV.”
He continued, “We intend to keep the public informed as to the progress of these discussions so that YouTube TV subscribers can make informed decisions regarding how to view the extremely popular programming carried on these RSNs.”
Given that there will be no MLB, NHL, or NBA games on these channels, until January at the earliest, YouTube TV had little pressure to keep the channels once baseball season ended.
With the removal from YouTube TV, Fox Regional Sports Networks will now only available to streamers on Hulu Live TV and AT&T TV NOW. A full comparison of Regional Sports Networks across services is below.
In a statement YouTube TV said:
To bring you 85+ channels, we periodically renegotiate contracts with content owners. In February, we announced we had negotiated an extension with Sinclair to continue providing FOX Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) through the end of MLB, NHL and NBA seasons.
Now that the seasons are over, that extension is expiring. Starting October 1, 2020, FOX RSNs will no longer be available on YouTube TV. Members that are impacted will no longer have access to Library recordings from the FOX RSNs.
This was a difficult decision made after months of negotiations. We hope we can bring FOX RSNs back in the future. We thank you for your membership as we work to make YouTube TV the best streaming experience. You will receive an email today if you are impacted by this change.”
This isn’t the only Live TV Streaming Service in a dispute with Sinclair over Fox Regional Sports Networks. Last July, Sling TV and Dish Network dropped the channels after being unable to reach an extension. In January, fuboTV dropped the RSNs from their service.
The channels are still dark on both services.
The channels which were acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group from Disney, after netting them as part of their deal for 21st Century Fox. FOX Regional Sports Networks broadcasts local telecasts of 14 MLB teams, 17 NBA teams and 13 NHL teams.