EDIT – an NBCUniversal Local spokesperson gave us this update:

“In a personnel-related announcement issued by NBCUniversal Local on Jan. 31, a reference to the NBC Sports Regional Networks’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) plans was inadvertently included and was misleading. At this stage in the process, our DTC strategy is evolving as we assess options in each of the unique sports markets we serve. At this time, we don’t have any further details about launch plans including timing or markets. More information will be announced when available.” 

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You’re probably aware that NBC is in the process of reorganizing their approach to the regional sports networks. Those are what we call the “RSNs,” aka NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Boston and blah blah. Over the years, original programming has been stripped down on those stations, and they more or less now exist as vehicles to broadcast local games. NBC got rid of sideline reporters and made some other significant changes, but one of the macro-level topics was the idea of moving those games to a streaming service instead, and it looks like we’re headed in that direction, based on some news shared by Alex Weprin at Hollywood Reporter:

NBCUniversal has tapped Valari Dobson Staab to be chairman of NBCUniversal Local, a division that includes the NBC owned-and-operated local stations, the Telemundo-owned stations, and the NBC regional sports networks.

Staab has overseen NBC’s local stations since 2011, and Telemundo’s stations since 2013. She reports to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal television and streaming.

The new role for Staab appears set to emphasize the streaming side of the business, with the company saying Monday that NBC’s RSNs, which have rights to local teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Celtics, will launch a direct-to-consumer offering later this year. Details for the RSN DTC plan were not disclosed.

This shouldn’t really surprise anybody. We don’t have any details yet, but it was inevitable that NBC would probably try to go DTC with local sports and shift their approach with the RSNs.

It was last year that Lillian Rizzo published a piece in the Wall Street Journal noting that NBC was pondering the outright sale of the RSNs. They had also allegedly looked into moving local sports to their Peacock streaming service, which is already annoying me. Last week I was looking for the Chelsea vs. Tottenham game, and these bastards put the game on fucking Peacock while deciding to show snowboarding on NBC and a 20-year-old movie on USA. They want to push people to buy their streaming service, which I get, but it’s still aggravating.

We mentioned a possible sale in previous articles, and noted how that could be complicated. Obviously the Flyers are owned by Comcast Spectacor, which is a subsidiary of Comcast. NBC Sports Philadelphia’s parent company is the NBC Sports Group, and their parent company is NBC Universal, whose parent company is…. Comcast. So the Flyers, Wells Fargo Center, and NBCSP all exist under some part of the Comcast umbrella.

The Sixers don’t have any kind of NBCSP stake, but the Phillies actually own 25% stake of NBC Sports Philadelphia. That happened when both sides agreed to that 25 year, $2.5 billion dollar agreement back in 2014, which gave the Phils the ownership stake and a portion of advertising revenue.

So there are a lot of moving parts. We’re looking at a situation where you might not have to even have a cable bundle to watch the local teams. Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers might be offered DTC via the stream, and give you more flexibility and “optionality,” which isn’t a word even though Daryl Morey uses it a few times per press conference.

We’re not sure yet, but there’s a big shift coming down the pike in the not-so-distant future.