The news isn’t surprising, it is just official. Warner Bros. Discovery is done with regional sports networks and plans to be out of the RSN business by year’s end.
“I am very pleased to say that we have been working diligently with the respective leagues and teams to formulate a plan to exit the RSN business in a manner that minimizes the disruption to teams and their fans,” CEO David Zaslav said Thursday during a conference call with market analysts. “We expect each of the networks will be sold or operation ceased by the end of the year.”
This has been in the works for most of 2023. In February, WBD told teams on their AT&T SportsNet channels that they wanted to sell them their broadcast rights back. If deals were not made, the networks would have gone into Chapter 7 liquidation.
Four MLB teams, three NHL teams and three NBA teams were on the WBD RSNs. Those networks were AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountains, AT&T SportsNet Southwest and Root Sports Northwest.
Two teams, the Utah Jazz and the Vegas Golden Knights, have already taken back their rights and partnered with local broadcasters. The Houston Rockets and Astros have proposed taking over control of AT&T SportsNet Southwest. The Seattle Mariners own a majority share of Root Sports Northwest.
WBD still wants to be in the sports business. That is evident by the focus on negotiating a new deal with the NBA. The company will focus all current and future sports initiatives solely on TNT, TBS, and MAX.
