The powerful future of Yankees broadcasting is quietly taking shape

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://nypost.com/2019/06/06/the-powerful-future-of-yankees-broadcasting-is-quietly-taking-shape/

The Yankees and the YES Network are exploring developing YES Radio while leveraging its current content and creating new shows in the beginning of a series of moves that could have huge implications not only locally, but on the future of sports media, The Post has learned.

The YES plans will go into overdrive upon the completion of its $3.5 billion deal that will restore the Yankees as the network’s largest shareholder. The Yankees are backed by Amazon and Sinclair, positioning the network well as the sports media landscape shifts.

Sinclair’s reach provides YES with protection on its cable carriage fees, while Amazon will help it navigate and perhaps be leaders in the future of sports media distribution.

YES Radio is in the proposed plans too.

 

[TheBigA]

YES Radio is in the proposed plans too.

Except that they want YES radio to only be available on subscription-based Sirius satellite radio. That's the amazing advantage of satellite, that its content is only available to subscribers. If you don't pay, you don't receive the content. Kind of like cable TV. The problem with broadcast radio is it must be able to be received by everyone, not just subscribers. That is not the result the Yankees want. They want to ensure every user pays, and the best way is with satellite.

 

[boombox4]

So their OTA broadcasts may cease?

Looks like more pay-to-play is on the way if that's the case.

 

[KeithE4]

So their OTA broadcasts may cease?

Looks like more pay-to-play is on the way if that's the case.

File that under "All Time Stupidest Media Decisions in Baseball History," along with Sportsvision (White Sox in the early '80s), the Dodgers' current TV debacle, and the future Cubs channel. And those are/were TV!

MLB goes to great lengths to make sure that the radio feeds of all games are available to everybody nationwide for a nominal fee ($20 per season via their website/app, or included with TuneIn Pro), with no blackouts. No way does the Commissioner's Office authorize a SiriusXM-only Yankees channel.

 

[TheBigA]

So their OTA broadcasts may cease?

Not in the short term, since they just signed a new deal with Entercom. The article identifies a lot of feature programming that might make up the Sirius channel. The kind of shows you see on YES besides the live PBP. That might include the Michael Kay show, and maybe even some combination with the Mad Dog (Chris Russo), who's already on Sirius. It gets complicated because one of their new partners in YES is Amazon, and there are some exclusive Amazon games. So there may be some exclusive Sirius games worked into the next contract.

 

[FTRlistenerAM]

I'm a diehard Sox fan and listen mostly to Red Sox broadcasts on the local Hartford affiliate WTIC-AM 1080, but sometimes tune in to Yankees broadcasts on 97.9 FM (ESPN Radio in Hartford) as well. The "This is the Dawning of the Age of Gregorius" for Didi Gregorius was one of the greatest John Sterling home run calls ever.