It looks like the **** is hitting the fan for MLB and NHL teams

[91Joe95]

A lot of local TV revenue streams about to get hammered because of potential pending broadcaster bankruptcies.

Pirates Business: Explaining the Uncertainty With the Regional Sports Networks - Pirates Prospects

When A.J. Burnett—the Batman—retired after the 2015 season, it would have been reasonable to think that it was the last time that the Pittsburgh Pirates would be affected by a DC Comics entity. However, it turns out that Batgirl may be more closely tied to the team’s future than Burnett was to...

piratesprospects.com

I can't help but think how shortsighted a lot these teams, especially smaller market ones, were when it came to forcing the issue regarding the consolidation of broadcasting rights.

 

[FrontierLion]

Was talking about this with my wife over the weekend. The only thing keeping me from paying for an MLB TV subscription was the local blackouts of Pirates games. We have YouTube TV as our primary streaming service. YouTube never carried AT&T Sportsnet, so I unfortunately had to give up watching Pirates baseball for the past few years ... not that I missed much.

But, if MLB would step in a broadcast smaller market games - including Pittsburgh - locally through MLB TV, it would be a win-win for customers like me who cut cable long ago.

Having said that, the Pirates and other smaller market teams better get this figured out quickly. TV revenues are so crucial to organizational finances.

 

[JakkL]

Add this as reason #37 why Nutting will NEVER pay to field a competitive team. Most team owners are willing to lose some money on their teams for vanity. Nutting uses the Pirates as his personal piggy bank.

 

[Nits74]

A lot of local TV revenue streams about to get hammered because of potential pending broadcaster bankruptcies.

Pirates Business: Explaining the Uncertainty With the Regional Sports Networks - Pirates Prospects

When A.J. Burnett—the Batman—retired after the 2015 season, it would have been reasonable to think that it was the last time that the Pittsburgh Pirates would be affected by a DC Comics entity. However, it turns out that Batgirl may be more closely tied to the team’s future than Burnett was to...

piratesprospects.com

I can't help but think how shortsighted a lot these teams, especially smaller market ones, were when it came to forcing the issue regarding the consolidation of broadcasting rights.

If I read this correctly, a consolidation of those rights could balance the revenue field considerably. I wonder what chance of that actually happening is. I think the powers that run MLB, including the players union, would prefer the domination by large markets to continue.

 

[91Joe95]

Right now that's only 17 (none of which are the really big teams) of the 30 teams. The other 13 are already tied up for quite some time.

I'm not exactly sure how the NHL does it but unlike MLB they do have a somewhat real version of revenue sharing. Maybe those teams weather it a bit better?

 

[EPC FAN]

Right now that's only 17 (none of which are the really big teams) of the 30 teams. The other 13 are already tied up for quite some time.

I'm not exactly sure how the NHL does it but unlike MLB they do have a somewhat real version of revenue sharing. Maybe those teams weather it a bit better?

Revenue sharing? Isn’t that a socialist thing?

 

[91Joe95]

Revenue sharing? Isn’t that a socialist thing?

Depends what you view as the business. Is it the league, or each franchise?

 

[BW Lion]

Revenue sharing? Isn’t that a socialist thing?

It’s akin to the now popular word … “equity”.