​The regional sports network landscape has seen several major operators shut down in recent years, and NBC Sports Regional Networks could be next. In a report by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the networks are described as “in peril because the network is lurching toward an uncertain financial future,” with Gelb noting that the Phillies could even consider launching their own network given the situation. The NBC Sports networks, formerly known as Comcast SportsNet from 1997 to 2017, peaked at nine in 2012 but have been downsizing quietly. Comcast Sportsnet Houston went bankrupt in 2014; NBC Sports Northwest closed after losing the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021; NBC Sports Washington was sold in 2023; and NBC Sports Chicago shut down in 2024 after the White Sox and Blackhawks left to form Chicago Sports Network.
Today, NBC Sports operates four networks: NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area on the West Coast, and NBC Sports Boston and NBC Sports Philadelphia on the East Coast. Still, with AT&T SportsNet’s shutdown in 2023 and FanDuel Sports Network’s planned shutdown later this year, NBC Sports would become the largest RSN operator in the United States with rights to a Big Four sports team. The writing appears to be on the wall for NBC Sports to exit the RSN business entirely, largely because RSNs are no longer the cash cows they once were.
During the peak of the cable era, the prevailing logic was that people were more likely to switch providers than lose access to a highly sought-after channel. To retain RSNs on systems, cable companies agreed to pay substantial fees. In 2012, for instance, CNN cost cable operators about $0.50 per customer, while RSNs charged roughly $2.50 per customer. As cord-cutting accelerated, the economics of RSNs deteriorated. With fewer subscribers, cable operators decided that continuing to pay the high fees for RSNs no longer made financial sense, which helps explain why you still won’t find FanDuel Sports Network on platforms like YouTube TV, Sling, or Hulu this year.
The economics are especially impactful for the Phillies, who are locked in a $2.5 billion television rights deal through 2041, according to Gelb. When RSNs were flourishing, those arrangements benefited both parties, but NBC now appears to be seriously weighing an exit from that agreement. Leagues have been quietly bracing for the end of RSNs. Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal reports that the NBA is expected to launch a streaming hub—potentially partnering with Google or Amazon—as early as the 2027-28 season. MLB, meanwhile, is anticipated to bundle its local rights for sale once its national TV deals conclude after the 2028 season. While NBC Sports’ networks are mainly supported by MLB and NBA rights, they also carry NHL teams, and despite maintaining only four networks, NBC Sports remains a major player in the RSN landscape as these shifts unfold.