Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner “wants clubs to be able to choose whether they’re in or out” of MLB's plan to “take control of local team broadcast rights so it can sell more inventory nationally come 2028,” according to Evan Drellich of THE ATHLETIC. Steinbrenner said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "knows my take, which is that at the very least, it needs to be an optional thing." He added, "We’ve got a good board of directors at the YES Network, and we’ve got a good network, and we’re doing pretty good right now.” Drellich notes YES televised 125 of the Yankees’ 162 regular-season games in 2024 and "almost all were exclusive telecasts.” Under Manfred’s plan, the number of games available for YES “would likely drop.” Instead, more games “would be televised exclusively by the streaming company that wins the bidding for a given package” (THE ATHLETIC, 11/27).
Hal Steinbrenner wants MLB's national broadcast plan to be optional
