AT&T SportsNet — owned by Warner Bros. Discovery — is exiting the regional sports network space. After giving teams the ability to negotiate until the end of the month to take their rights back, there have been no updates on the progress, leaving fans in limbo. While there may be anxiety, 93.7 The Fan morning host Colin Dunlap believes fans have nothing to worry about.
“Maybe it’s a refusal to believe it could actually happen — perhaps it’s that, that I’ve talked myself into the business of television and…the payments and this and that — but I just don’t believe that there will be a time when I turn my television on and the Penguins and Pirates won’t be on,” Dunlap said.
“I find it hard to believe that with all the money involved, somebody’s not gonna find a way to broadcast these games,” co-host Chris Mack said. “Both the Pirates and Penguins.”
“I don’t know a world or a lifetime that that wasn’t the case,” continued Dunlap. “Whenever they’re on, they’re on. In all my years, I’ve never known that, so until I see that happening, it would solely be reactionary…maybe it’s naive on my part, but I haven’t even started to walk down that road.”
He then mentioned that station host Andrew Fillipponi had a long discussion about the situation that included well-researched alternatives. Dunlap admitted that while the topic eventually went over his own head due to Fillipponi’s intelligence level, he said he continued coming back to “Come on. They’ll be on TV someway”.
AT&T SportsNet outlets in Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh currently hold the television rights to four MLB teams (Astros, Pirates, Mariners, and Rockies), three NBA teams (Trailblazers, Jazz, Rockets) and three NHL teams (Penguins, Kraken, and Golden Knights. The networks are reportedly offering the teams back their rights with no cost.
The demise of AT&T SportsNet also comes at a time when Bally Sports-branded networks are facing uncertainty. After missing a scheduled $140 million debt payment last month, many observers expect Diamond Sports Group to declare bankruptcy.
