NBC Sports Philadelphia’s days may be numbered. According to a report in The Athletic, the Phillies’ TV future looks increasingly uncertain.
What We Know: NBC Sports has shut down all of its regional sports networks except two: Philadelphia and Bay Area. The Phillies’ rights deal with NBC Sports Philadelphia is not yet halfway complete this season. However, industry sources briefed on the situation have doubts about its longevity. Meanwhile, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly pushing to centralize local broadcast revenue across the league. A shift also reshaping how the NHL and NBA approach their own regional deals. Phillies sources confirm the club has done preliminary groundwork on potentially building its own network.
What They Said: Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Sam Fuld (via The Athletic): “It’s an important part of the business. We have a fan base that relies on being delivered the product outside of the walls of Citizens Bank Park. As this landscape changes, it’s important to find ways to deliver the product in the way people are consuming the game these days. So it’s a challenge. … I think we’re all optimistic that we can get to a good place.”
What Remains Unclear: No timeline exists for when NBC Sports Philadelphia might exit the RSN business entirely. Additionally, it’s unclear whether MLB’s centralization push will outpace any individual deal collapse. The broader RSN model continues destabilizing across MLB, NHL, and NBA simultaneously, leaving teams scrambling for contingency plans.
What It Means: With MLB attempting to make access to games more easy on the consumer, the current RSN model will likely cease to exist in its current form in short order. This season, upwards of 12 teams had to rush to find distribution for the broadcasts through MLB due to the collapse of FanDuel Sports Network. It is unknown if NBC Sports regional networks can be a part of a broader play with MLB, NHL, or the NBA.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
