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The YES Network has launched a direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscription service that will broadcast all games featuring Major League Baseball’s (MLB) New York Yankees, the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Brooklyn Nets and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s (WNBA) New York Liberty.
Confirmed:
- YES Network to stream games to fans in the greater New York area
- Subscription to cost US$24.99 per month or US$239.99 annually
- Customers who buy the service before 30th April will be given a promotional offer of US$19.99 per month or US$199.99 annually, expiring at the end of 2023
- Service can be bought through the YES app, which will be the exclusive DTC streaming home of the Yankees, Nets and Liberty in YES’ regional coverage territory
Context:
The regional sports network (RSN) is co-owned by the Yankees alongside a number of other investors, including Amazon and Sinclair Broadcast Group. It has long signaled its intention to launch a DTC product and targeted its unveiling in time for the start of the 2023 MLB season.
The pricing makes the service cheaper than the New England Sports Network’s (NESN) DTC platform, which launched last year and costs subscribers US$29.99 per month for Boston Red Sox and Bruins games.
Comment:
“We are pleased to introduce a direct subscription option,” said Jon D Litner, chief executive of the YES Network.
“With this new direct-to-consumer offering, we are broadening our reach by making YES available to more fans in our regional footprint than ever before.”
Coming next:
Having launched the service in time for the Yankees’ opening game on 30th March against the San Francisco Giants, YES will want subscribers to flock to the service which would open up a new revenue stream for the company.
