YES, MSG Networks Announce ‘GAME’ Joint Venture
YES Network and MSG Network, two of the biggest regional sports networks around, are making major changes. Instead of feuding, the Steinbrenner family and James Dolan are instead joining forces, a press release Thursday morning announced the creation of Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (aka GAME); here’s the full announcement is available below:
Today YES & MSG announced they have formed Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment (“GAME”), a new 50/50 digital technology joint venture. pic.twitter.com/QdIL6nWaad
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 4, 2024
With this agreement, the rights to the New York Yankees, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils are now potentially under one umbrella. Currently, YES and MSG are providing their content on a direct-to-consumer basis as well as on certain cable providers.
The expectation with GAME is that the streaming rights for all of these teams might be sold to the highest third-party bidder. One of the main goals of this is to make their games available to everyone around the country. Obviously, both RSNs have complete control in the tri-state area.
It’s also obvious that the Yankees and Knicks are two of sports’ most global brands. People near and far would like to watch their games in real time–combining the March-October MLB schedule with the September-April NBA-NHL schedule means there could be potential viewers 365 days a year with a combined service.
Both networks have dealt with this costly problem, but there is now a way to recoup that lost revenue and create more value for everyone.
Who’s Got The Power?
The case of sports broadcasting since 2020 is fascinating. One of the clear dominos in this process is the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group. They were in control of Bally Sports, the largest regional sports network in the country.
MLB has basically been left to pick up the pieces after that move. This decision is a major power shift in the world’s largest market. It potentially serves to be another step away from cable with the huge rise of streaming in recent years. Another tidbit from the linked NY Post article is that ESPN plans to be direct-to-consumer by 2025 at the latest. There’s a lot to digest, but more will be figured out over time.
There’s a great chance we see a majority of New York sports available in the same place within the very near future. The GAME partnership between MSG Network and YES Network has some major implications in the New York market.
