YouTube TV Strikes Out on Sinclair-Owned Fox Regional Sports Networks
Baseball fans who also subscribe to YouTube TV got some bad news on Thursday when YouTube TV announced it will drop all Sinclair-owned Fox regional sports networks on February 29. The announcement means fans in several markets — including New York, where the Yankees’ YES Network will be going away — will not be able to catch their favorite teams on YouTube TV.
YouTube TV tweeted it was “unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair” to continue carrying Fox’s RSNs.
“We do not take this decision lightly. This is a reflection of the rising cost of sports content,” the Google-owned service tweeted. “You may have noticed several other TV services have also decided to remove FOX Regional Sports Networks from their lineups.”
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We purchase rights from Sinclair to distribute content to you. Despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair. As a result, we will no longer offer FOX Regional Sports Networks, including YES Network, beginning February 29th.
— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) February 27, 2020
Sinclair bought 21 Fox RSNs from Disney last August for $10.6 billion. Out of 30 MLB teams, 15 have their local games carried by Fox RSNs.
YouTube TV’s decision comes soon after Sling TV and Fubo dropped Fox RSNs, with both pointing to higher costs that were not offset by viewership. Beyond baseball, Fox RSNs also carry more than half of the NBA’s teams and about a third of local NHL action. Hulu and AT&T Now are now the only livestreaming services that will offer Sinclair’s batch of Fox RSNs at the start of March.
YouTube TV, which offers upwards of 70 channels and unlimited recording space, costs $50 per month. Hulu’s live TV offering costs $55 per month.
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