Sinclair Broadcast Group said it reached an agreement with YouTube TV to carry 19 of its 21 regional sports networks.
Sinclair, which acquired the Fox Regional Sports Network from the Walt Disney Co., last year, said Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West will no longer be carried on YouTube TV effective Thursday.
Earlier, YES Network said it had been dropped by YouTube TV. Sinclair acquired a stake in YES last year when it was sold to a group that also includes the Yankees and Amazon.
The Sinclair release did not mention Marquee Network, the joint venture between Sinclair and the Chicago Cubs, which launched last month.
“We are pleased that YouTube TV was able to agree to terms on 19 of our RSNs and that they will continue to provide subscribers with access to some of the most in-demand sports networks in the nation,” said David Gibber, senior VP and general counsel of Sinclair. “Millions of fans across the country tune into sports content daily and, at Sinclair, our goal is to make this as widely accessible as possible.”
Sinclair said Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West are available on other streaming platforms.
“We value our ongoing relationship with YouTube TV, however, we are deeply disappointed with its decision to not carry certain RSNs. We offered competitive market terms but, ultimately, YouTube TV declined,” said Gibber. “We encourage YouTube TV subscribers who value these RSNs to turn to other streaming services or their local cable or satellite provider for continued access, or to directly contact YouTube TV with feedback.”
YouTube noted that it had previously announced that it would drop the Fox Regional Sports Networks and YES.
We have since reached an agreement with Sinclair and will continue carrying the Fox RSNs in select areas only," a spokesperson said. "Affected members who no longer have access to this content will receive a notification in the YouTube TV app soon. We don’t take this decision lightly, and will continue to do our best to make YouTube TV a best-in-class experience."
