SBJ Media: What’s up with WBD’s RSNs?

Back in February, Warner Bros. Discovery gave the Pirates, Rockies and Astros a deadline of March 31 to reach a deal taking their local media rights back or face the prospect of having those three AT&T SportsNet-branded RSNs make a Chapter 7 liquidation filing.

Well, March 31 has come and gone, and fans in those markets still are able to watch their teams’ games on those three regional sports networks. WBD still has not reached a deal with those teams. But sources say they are close to an agreement that will see WBD exit the business by the end of baseball season.

The deals being discussed would have WBD continue to pay its rights fees and produce/distribute games for the entire season. At the end of the season, WBD would walk away, and the rights would revert back to the teams.

In Colorado and Pittsburgh, that’s likely to mean that MLB will be on the hook for producing and distributing games next season. MLB has been building out a local sports division that’s prepared to produce and distribute games locally as those rights return to the teams.

In Houston, the Astros and Rockets are in line to take over AT&T SportsNet Houston, an RSN that still has affiliate deals with Comcast, DirecTV and U-Verse that go well into the next decade. No changes are expected in Seattle, where WBD holds a 30% stake in the Mariners-controlled Root Sports RSN and is likely to keep that stake even after the current baseball season ends.

In other leagues, reports have pegged NESN as a potential destination for the Penguins, whose games are on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, since NESN’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, controls the majority stake in the team. The Jazz, Golden Knights and WNBA’s Aces, whose games are carried on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, would have to find a new media partner to carry those games.

SBJ’s Michael Smith broke a story this morning about how Jamie Zaninovich, “a central figure in the [Pac-12’s] media rights negotiations,” is leaving the conference to join a Texas-based communications company called TrailRunner International. I’m told that Zaninovich’s move is not likely to throw any unnecessary delays into the conference’s media rights negotiations. The main reason: The Pac-12 has agreed to be Zaninovich’s first client as he moves over to Trailrunner.

The Pac-12 still is months away from a deal, with sources predicting that something will be in place before next football season starts. Last year, the Big Ten formally announced its blockbuster media rights deals with CBS, Fox and NBC in mid-August, and that is a timeline some have painted as the most realistic for the Pac-12.

Last week, The Athletic reported that The CW emerged as a new potential partner for the Pac-12. Sources told me that CW reps did hold initial talks with the conference. But those talks never got serious. The Pac-12 expects to wind up with deals that combine traditional TV with streaming. But there’s little chance that The CW will end up with those rights, sources said.

Fox and NBC have decided on their broadcast booths for the USFL’s second season.

NBC will use Jac Collinsworth and Paul Burmeister on play-by-play for the second straight season. Jason Garrett, NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson and Saints DE Cameron Jordan will return as analysts. They will be joined by new analysts this season in Colt McCoy, Kyle Rudolph and Anthony Herron on select games. Zora Stephenson, Corey Robinson, Lewis Johnson and Caroline Pineda will be sideline reporters during the season.

Fox will have two crews call the game. One will feature Curt Menefee, Joel Klatt and Brock Huard. The other will be made up of Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez and Devin Gardner.

SBJ’s Terry Lefton and I wrote about what to expect from the USFL’s upcoming season from a marketing and media perspective. A couple of changes that I’m looking forward to: When a game pauses for a replay review, fans in the stadium will be able to see and hear Mike Pereira live on the video board as he explains and decides the call.

The league also will be able to track the ball to better call first downs or touchdowns. Fox and NBC will use a U.S. Open-style animation to show exactly how much distance is needed for the first down. The animation will be used both on TV and in the stadium.

Sports Emmy nominations will be announced Tuesday morning. But I got my hands on the nominees that will be announced for one of the top categories.

The six nominees for "Outstanding Live Special" include four from Fox Sports and two from NBC Sports. The Fox noms are the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final (Argentina vs. France), MLB at Field of Dreams, Super Bowl LVII and the 118th World Series.

NBC’s nominations are: the 148th Kentucky Derby and the XXIV Olympic Winter Games.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for May 22 in Manhattan, with Bryant Gumbel receiving the Lifetime Achievement award.

• SBJ on Monday announced our Forty Under 40 Class of 2023, with full profiles set for the June 26 issue of SBJ, followed by our annual Forty Under 40 gala on Oct. 20 in Las Vegas. Among those with ties to sports media in this year's class are Fox Sports' Derek Crocker, the Big Ten's Kerry Kenny, Snap's Anmol Malhotra, CBS Sports' Andie Schwartz, Meta's Dev Sethi and The Volume's Logan Swaim.

• Peacock drew 833,000 viewers for its exclusive stream of Liverpool-Arsenal on Sunday, marking a Premier League record for the platform, notes SBJ's Austin Karp. That figure jumps by another 39,000 viewers when including the Spanish-language telecast. 

• My boss Abe Madkour in his Forum this week listed some of the top industry stories through Q1, and at the top of the list are RSNs. "So many subplots that affect sports business: owners and team revenue; product distribution and accessibility; new technology; future payrolls; and more." He also has his eyes on the MLS-Apple deal: "It’s received early praise for its look and presentation -- as MLS game programming clearly has been significantly enhanced. But detractors worry the sport could suffer from a lack of attention and exposure, and it’s too early to tell if viewers are finding it and subscribing to MLS Season Pass."

• SBJ's Austin Karp -- ratings royalty, as far as I’m concerned -- did a deep dive into the evolving TV viewership landscape over the last 20 years, particularly around marquee sports events, big-time scripted TV programs and major awards shows.