Pittsburgh Penguins, Pirates Launch New In-Market Streaming Service SNP 360 for Less Than $20 Per Month
Local fans can watch Penguins and Pirates games outside the cable bundle for the first time thanks to the new streamer.
The NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates have not followed the trend of other major league teams who have fled regional sports networks (RSNs) in favor of over-the-air (OTA) channels. The two teams are still available on a cable channel, but this week they announced the launch of a new streaming platform for in-market fans titled SNP 360. It’s the latest example of teams trying to reach fans through as many methods as possible and reflects a market in which viewers are increasingly trying to find sports outside the traditional cable bundle.
Key Details:
- SNP 360 costs $17.99 per month, and customers who get SportsNet Pittsburgh in their cable plan can log in at no extra cost.
- The streamer is available to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and parts of New York and Maryland.
- In addition to live games, the streamer will carry exclusive shows and original content.
The Pirates and Penguins had been featured on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh for years, but Warner Bros. Discovery decided to bail out of the sinking RSN market last year. The Pirates and Penguins decided to stick with SportsNet Pittsburgh after it was acquired by Fenway Sports Group, which is also a partial owner of the New England RSN NESN and its companion streamer NESN 360.
The teams promised fans that an in-market streaming platform was coming, and now it has arrived. SNP 360 offers a monthly subscription plan for $17.99, or fans can sign up for a cable plan with SportsNet Pittsburgh included and log into the streamer with the credentials they use with their TV provider at no extra cost.
SNP 360 will feature all live Pirates and Penguins games not appearing on nationally broadcast channels like TNT or Fox. The streamer will also carry additional live events from Pittsburgh-area teams and leagues like the PWHL, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Duquesne Men’s and Women’s basketball, Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, and Penn State hockey, and more. SNP 360 will provide original titles and exclusive shows, as well.
“Our desire has been to reach fans wherever they are and give them options to access our clubs’ telecasts,” said SportsNet Pittsburgh CEO Sean McGrail. “There are many people now who don’t subscribe a linear TV bundle, and we wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to engage with our teams and be part of the fan base.”
Which Other Teams Have Created In-Market Streamers Recently?
SNP 360 joins other in-market streaming services on the East Coast like NESN 360, which offers the Boston Red Sox and Bruins, and the YES App which carries New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty games.
The Colorado Rockies also offer an in-market streaming option for the first time in 2024. The team failed to find a Denver-area broadcaster to produce and distribute its games after being booted off an AT&T SportsNet RSN, so MLB itself has taken over that responsibility as it has for the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. The Rockies stream on a special, in-market plan of MLB.TV.
This year also saw the launch of a new streaming service dedicated to the Arizona Coyotes. Coyotes Central was rolled out just in time for the end of the 2023-24 NHL regular season, though it remains to be seen if the platform will survive the team’s planned move to Salt Lake City.
Sports league commissioners have observed the effects of cord-cutting on their linear audience, as well as the trend of younger viewers being increasingly willing to seek out sports via other platforms. In-market streaming options will become more and more common as leagues try to expand their audiences, and now the Pirates and Penguins have a local streaming platform of their own to offer fans.
SNP 360
SNP 360 is a digital subscription service with live Pirates and Penguins games, live events from Pittsburgh-area teams and leagues like the PWHL, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Duquesne Men’s and Women’s basketball, Robert Morris, Mercyhurst, and Penn State hockey, and more. It includes 24/7 access to live SNP and SNP+ feeds. The service is only available in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and parts of New York and Maryland (the SportsNet Pittsburgh territory).