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HULU vs. Fox Regional Sports

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by ChrisLong, Oct 23, 2020.

  1. ChrisLong

    ChrisLong Well-Known Member

    HULU and Fox Regional Sports apparently cannot agree on a contract and the streaming service will drop the regional networks. I received an email about this a couple of days ago, but trashed it without looking because I thought it was advertising. Found the email in my TRASH folder and, indeed, this is the case.

    Is it a ruse, a negotiating ploy, anybody know?

    If I can't watch Angels and Ducks, there is no reason to keep HULU. I already can't get Dodgers, Lakers and Pac-12, but I can live without them.
     
  2. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    The Fox Regionals have been off Dish Network for over a year. The Dish messaging now sounds like they aren't even negotiating anymore, and the channels won't ever be coming back.
     
  3. tapintoamerica

    tapintoamerica Well-Known Member

    This just amazes me. The second-largest market in the country has several local sports teams that locals can't see. How does this happen?
     
  4. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    They’ve been off YouTubeTV since the end of baseball season. No idea when they’ll return.
     
  5. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    My suspicion would be that Hulu's "push" into this area wasn't especially fruitful. Like, we have Hulu, but it's mostly for access to television shows and movies. Having access to regional sports on there almost seems too niche to be worth big money on their part. If they're going to pay out the nose for something, I imagine it's going to be NFL football. (Also - Couldn't Fox just establish their own streaming option at this point? They sold off all of their entertainment IP to Disney, but bundling up their sports content and *ugh* Fox News and selling it for $5 to $10 a month seems doable.)
     
  6. Driftwood

    Driftwood Well-Known Member

    Hulu is my only TV provider. I dropped cable more than a year ago. I pay for the Hulu live, and the regional network was a bit of the appeal, I guess.
    I got the email yesterday that it was being dropped today. The main thing we watched on it was Braves baseball. It likely won't even be noticed until April.
     
    maumann likes this.
  7. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    Sinclair just bought all the regional sports networks just in time for the pandemic. I suspect Sinclair insists their programming is worth more than Dish, Hulu or YouTube TV are willing to pay.

    Couldn't happen to a nicer company. I hope Sinclair takes an absolute beating financially.
     
  8. apeman33

    apeman33 Well-Known Member

    Sinclair had the most worthless things during the early part of the pandemic: Regional Sports Nets with no programming. And when sports came back, I don't think most people missed the RSNs enough to make them worth worth anything.

    They're also not ESPN, NBC or Fox. What other cable networks does Sinclair own that they could use as leverage?

    FSN Kansas City exists to carry they Royals and once carried pre-conference Kansas State basketball (I don't know if it still does). I don't watch enough baseball to get upset about missing Royals games and I don't follow K-State basketball. They have nothing else of interest to me.
     
  9. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    Of course the flip side to that is Fox Sports Southwest carries the Rangers, Mavericks and Stars -- so you lose a lot with that one in North Texas.
     
  10. maumann

    maumann Well-Known Member

    I haven't seen any information on new negotiations between Sinclair and Hulu. Both sides are pretty entrenched and I'm not sure how they'll compromise. Perhaps Hulu will eventually offer the RSNs as an add-on, like they do with Showtime, HBO, etc. I can't see them giving in and raising the basic monthly charge for something that doesn't move the needle for a general audience, even if they can monetize the ads.

    Hulu is in a tricky spot. They're trying to stick to a price point that keeps them competitive with YouTube but doesn't get them undercut by other streaming providers. While more people are cord cutting, the pie is getting sliced thinner and thinner.

    On the other hand, Sinclair paid a ton of money for the RSNs and obviously wants to recoup that investment.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
    Liut likes this.
  11. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Is Sinclair just stiffing the streaming providers? How are its negotiations with cable companies going?
     
  12. Danwriter

    Danwriter Member

    Because sports is a chip in the much, much larger media game.
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
    maumann likes this.
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