Local sports are harder to find on YouTube TV as the Google-owned live TV streaming service drops Sinclair Broadcast Group's entire lineup of regional sports networks.
In a series of tweets, YouTube TV announced it'll no longer offer FOX Regional Sports Networks and YES Network. Sinclair owns and operates regional sports networks in major markets that store NBA, MLB, NHL, and NCAA teams. YouTube TV has dropped the channels, and that means games aren't available on the platform anymore. Some of the more significant teams with games on these channels include the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Blues.
Sinclair made undisclosed demands, which Google refused to meet and thus decided to drop the channels from its live TV streaming service. Regional sports networks aren't an attractive asset at the moment due to declining viewership and leagues partnering with broadcast and cable networks to regularly air games. NBA games, for example, appear on ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV on a near-nightly basis. Fans could focus on these live, national games featuring the most popular teams rather than each and every matchup a local franchise plays in.
Still, regional sports networks will exist for the next few years. Sinclair holds long-term contracts with several franchises across the United States, and it signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs to introduce Marquee Sports Network at the start of the 2020 MLB season. Just don't expect to see any of Marquee Sports Network or Sinclair's other regional sports networks on YouTube TV.
Google and Sinclair could still negotiate a renewal, but it doesn't appear all too likely. Dish Network and Sling dropped Sinclair's regional sports networks in 2019, and Fubo TV did the same last month. Comcast, meanwhile, could let an existing distribution agreement with Sinclair expire soon and pull the channels from its Xfinity service. It's a turbulent period for regional sports networks, and Sinclair might need to rethink its demands to regain distribution through major cable, satellite, and over-the-top TV providers.
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