NESN in ‘active’ discussions to expand beyond Boston, Pittsburgh

NESN, the New England-area regional sports network that is the local television home to the Boston Red Sox and Bruins, is looking to expand.

The network has already made inroads in other cities, buying up AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and rebranding it, simply, SportsNet Pittsburgh after Warner Bros. Discovery exited the regional sports network business in 2023. And now, NESN president David Wisnia is seemingly angling for more.

In an interview with Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, Wisnia revealed NESN is in “active” discussions to “operate or buy local media operations for teams,” similar to its recent takeover in Pittsburgh, which added the Penguins and Pirates to its portfolio.

“If there’s an opportunity that makes sense for us, for them, we’ll happily have those conversations,” Wisnia told Sports Business Journal. “We’re open for business … whether it’s a partnership or M&A,” noting the SportsNet Pittsburgh venture has been “very successful.”

Wisnia did not specify which markets or networks NESN was in active discussions with.

It goes without saying, but it has been a difficult time for the regional sports network business of late. Main Street Sports Group, owner of the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks, is imminently ceasing operations, forcing nearly 30 teams across MLB, the NBA, and the NHL to find alternative local broadcast solutions. (The nine Main Street-affiliated MLB teams all found new homes prior to Opening Day last month.)

That could create opportunity for NESN to slide in and take over or resurrect networks in certain markets. NESN has been in rare success story, having weathered the storm of cord-cutting better than most of its peers. However, initiatives by MLB and the NBA to centralize local broadcast rights within the next couple of years still loom large. Such plans jeopardize the future of remaining regional sports networks, which would essentially be cut out of the local broadcast model entirely.