In an internal memo sent to employees on Thursday, the MLB Network and the NHL Network announced that it would pay freelancers and part-time employees through the end of April. Previously, the networks had only committed to paying those staffs through March 28.
Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports was made aware of the memo on Friday. The league-owned networks hope the extra month of pay can “mitigate the financial disruption”. It isn’t absurd to think that the networks are also hoping to retain the services of as many freelancers as possible so they do not have to recruit and train new staffs when live games return.
Andrew Marchand of The New York Post tweeted details of the compensation plan on Thursday. The freelancers won’t receive their usual rate, but will still see some money coming in.
Sources have told McCarthy that full-time staff at the MLB Network and NHL Network have not been asked to take pay cuts. The networks declined to comment.
