ATT&T Sportsnet going bankrupt

[Pitts]

Decided to start a thread on this to keep all info in one place. This might be a BIG problem real soon. This may impact Pens games on television as soon as March 31!

Here's the main story: https://pittsburghhockeynow.com/pittsbu ... ankruptcy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ville5]

No mights. AT&T Sportnet will be no more as of March 31st.

[ville5]

https://triblive.com/sports/att-sportsn ... al-sports/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/2023 ... et-fallout" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ejd43]

What are the options after March 31??

Just be able to stream on ESPN + without blackout restrictions??

[Pitts]

A former LGP poster who I follow on other platforms states that the Pens have a contingency plan in place since they've known for 18 months now.

[ville5]

A former LGP poster who I follow on other platforms states that the Pens have a contingency plan in place since they've known for 18 months now.

MLB reportedly have said they themselves will broadcast in any local areas affected for this season iirc.
The Pens have until the 31st to find another broadcast deal.
A big part of the reason Lemieux and Burkle wanted to buy the Bucs was so they could start a Pens/Bucs channel/streaming service. At least that's what Ive read.
Whether FSG and Nutting get together or FSG utilizes NESN somehow, who knows.

[DelPen]

What are the options after March 31??

Just be able to stream on ESPN + without blackout restrictions??

Hopefully that’s the worst case scenario that the opponents broadcast won’t be blacked out any longer in Pittsburgh.

I haven’t seen what the rest of the markets using ATTSN or Ballys for that matter are going to do. There aren’t many more big RSN’s that go coast to coast in operations, might just be NBC at this point then some isolated regional networks that don’t leave general markets like NESN and MASN.

[penny lane]

What a cluster blank.

I hope Dan Potash will be retained here. I'm not joking- good guy.

[ejd43]

There’s a lot of people at att, potash, rob king, jay, Colby.

Are Steve meares and bob errey employed by ATT or the pens?

[DelPen]

There’s a lot of people at att, potash, rob king, jay, Colby.

Are Steve meares and bob errey employed by ATT or the pens?

I am thinking that ATT gives the team money as a production budget and they hire and pay people?

[Sigwolf]

I see this as nothing but good. RSN's, and their associated horsecrap blackkouts, have needed to disappear for a while. Hopefully this will be the end of it, and everyone will have the same access to broadcasts regardless of where their house happens to sit on a map.

[IntangibleBeer]

I'm not sure I understand the bigger picture yet as to why this happened. Is this all related to the lack of a single centrally managed TV contract, like that of the NFL?

I know that I have not subscribed to a cable provider for the past couple of years because they were too expensive. Streaming the games through Reddit or Sportsurge was an absolute PITA, but it was preferable to a huge cable bill just to get the "sports package". Was that part of the problem (for AT&T Sportnet)?

Maybe someone can explain this to me.

[Pitts]

I'm not sure I understand the bigger picture yet as to why this happened. Is this all related to the lack of a single centrally managed TV contract, like that of the NFL?

I know that I have not subscribed to a cable provider for the past couple of years because they were too expensive. Streaming the games through Reddit or Sportsurge was an absolute PITA, but it was preferable to a huge cable bill just to get the "sports package". Was that part of the problem (for AT&T Sportnet)?

Maybe someone can explain this to me.

That first article I posted explains it a good bit. Basically ATT Sportsnet is a dinosaur that the New Warner company obtained by default when it bought ATT. Now the bigger company wants to cut money losing components and ATTSP is one of them. The regional sport networks are losing money in buckets now mainly because people want stteaming services now and ATTSP does not have one. Also of note, ATTSP is only operating in, I think, 4 regions around the country - so it isn't even a national scale operation. Pretty small-time in the bigger sports tv/streaming picture. It is time for them to go.

[IntangibleBeer]

I'm not sure I understand the bigger picture yet as to why this happened. Is this all related to the lack of a single centrally managed TV contract, like that of the NFL?

I know that I have not subscribed to a cable provider for the past couple of years because they were too expensive. Streaming the games through Reddit or Sportsurge was an absolute PITA, but it was preferable to a huge cable bill just to get the "sports package". Was that part of the problem (for AT&T Sportnet)?

Maybe someone can explain this to me.

That first article I posted explains it a good bit. Basically ATT Sportsnet is a dinosaur that the New Warner company obtained by default when it bought ATT. Now the bigger company wants to cut money losing components and ATTSP is one of them. The regional sport networks are losing money in buckets now mainly because people want stteaming services now and ATTSP does not have one. Also of note, ATTSP is only operating in, I think, 4 regions around the country - so it isn't even a national scale operation. Pretty small-time in the bigger sports tv/streaming picture. It is time for them to go.

Thanks! I always wondered why ATTSP was trying to force me to go to a cable provider.

[BigMcK]

When PrimeStar was around, they offered Regional sports channels. I subscribed to WTAE(?) for Penguins games. A user could subscribe to multiple out of town sports channels in a package. When DirecTv purchased them, the package of sports channels grew, at an increased price. Speed TV had Pink's, in the package.

That went away.

Fox Sports West 1 an 2 debuted out West with Kings and Ducks games, and DirecTV increased the sports package. NHL package followed MLB, and NBA to include out-of-town games at a premium. I used to pay for the NHL package until the ROI didn't fit into the budget.

Which brings me to this: DirecTV is offering a reduction in price until seasons end, but do not have a disclaimer that they will show Penguins hockey due to the current situation.

The whole viewing games out of network is **** made possible by greedy networks.

[stonewizard51]

This might be a way of going back to Center Ice, assuming it doesn't blackout games too.

[FLPensFan]

This might be a way of going back to Center Ice, assuming it doesn't blackout games too.

As a former 20 year user of center ice, it simply relies on the RSN feeds. So if there is no more ATT Pittsburgh, center ice won't have a feed to show. They could show the other team feed...until their RSN goes offline too.

Easier solution to me is to have ESPN+ take over short term, and the NHL creating their own full sports network to cover all teams games moving forward.

[DelPen]

This might be a way of going back to Center Ice, assuming it doesn't blackout games too.

As a former 20 year user of center ice, it simply relies on the RSN feeds. So if there is no more ATT Pittsburgh, center ice won't have a feed to show. They could show the other team feed...until their RSN goes offline too.

Easier solution to me is to have ESPN+ take over short term, and the NHL creating their own full sports network to cover all teams games moving forward.

Really, really short term is removing blackouts from the impacted markets and give them a month free trial to get eyes on the product.

[BurghThing]

This might be a way of going back to Center Ice, assuming it doesn't blackout games too.

As a former 20 year user of center ice, it simply relies on the RSN feeds. So if there is no more ATT Pittsburgh, center ice won't have a feed to show. They could show the other team feed...until their RSN goes offline too.

Easier solution to me is to have ESPN+ take over short term, and the NHL creating their own full sports network to cover all teams games moving forward.

Really, really short term is removing blackouts from the impacted markets and give them a month free trial to get eyes on the product.

I like the cut of your jib

[Pitts]

Blackouts are a thing of the past. With RSNs going belly-up, time for a new model, pay the subscription, watch any game from wherever you are!

[largegarlic]

Blackouts are a thing of the past. With RSNs going belly-up, time for a new model, pay the subscription, watch any game from wherever you are!

I think that has to be the direction this goes. It seemed to me that the only reason to have the blackouts was to force people to subscribe to something that carried the RSNs, but if the RSNs are no more, then blackouts should be no more as well.

[DelPen]

Blackouts are a thing of the past. With RSNs going belly-up, time for a new model, pay the subscription, watch any game from wherever you are!

I think that has to be the direction this goes. It seemed to me that the only reason to have the blackouts was to force people to subscribe to something that carried the RSNs, but if the RSNs are no more, then blackouts should be no more as well.

It was more to protect the RSN’s after they signed multi year deals to broadcast the teams. But the model doesn’t work anymore more because cable isn’t viable much longer.

[ville5]

Guess this is one way to counteract.
BucciOT.Com

@Buccigross

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NHL team coming to Atlanta again…stay tuned. Alpharetta. #wafflehouse #thirdtimeisacharm #like

BucciOT.Com

@Buccigross

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Houston will also get an NHL team next time around with Atlanta..
(Those tweets are from Friday at 1:18 p.m. and 2:18 p.m.)

[Crash66]

Woohoo. Another botched expansion draft coming. Can't wait.

[DelPen]

34 is just a really weird number. And keeping generally close to topic, Houston uses ATT for their RSN and Atlanta is serviced by Ballys which is going to be gone too so no RSN for them.

Maybe the NHL should sort this out, along with Phoenix, before the expand to Houston and the future Quebec City team that will start as a third Atlanta team.