Sinclair, which owns the Fox Regional Sports Networks, has been in an ongoing dispute with Dish and Sling TV. Back in July, Fox Sports announced that Sling TV and Dish Network dropped 21 Fox Regional Sports Networks. This came after the two sides had agreed to a temporary extension that came and passed without resolution.
During their Q3 earnings call today, Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley was very blunt in addressing the extended dispute. He told analysts, “We don’t know what will happen with Dish, we view it as a temporary issue. Either we come to a deal with Dish or their relevance in the industry will be reduced over time.”
He continued, “Forgoing the RSNs is the equivalent of — from a viewership perspective — forgoing the top ten entertainment programs combined. It’s really forgoing a key piece of the bundle and that’s only going to be exasperated over time as [legalized] sports betting moves through the country.”
FOX Regional Sports Networks broadcasts local telecasts of 14 MLB teams, 17 NBA teams and 13 NHL teams. The channels are available as part of a Sling Blue package for $25 a month. While there are other services like Hulu Live TV ($45), PlayStation Vue ($55), fuboTV ($55), YouTube TV ($50) — most are double the price of Sling.