Streaming Team-Up By New York Sports Outlets MSG And YES Could Be Prelude To Unified Service For Knicks And Yankees Games

Dade Hayes
·3 min read

The YES Network and MSG Networks have formed a streaming joint venture that could one day lead to New York Yankees and New York Knicks games being housed on a single service.

Gotham Advanced Media and Entertainment, or GAME, is the new 50-50 venture, which is aiming for technical and operational synergies. Like many players in the cash-intensive direct-to-consumer business, the two sports entities have found streaming to be a costly proposition.

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YES and MSG have recently launched stand-alone apps priced at $25 and $30 a month, respectively, part of a wave of regional sports services coming to market. Along with the Yankees, YES has rights to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. MSG has the Knicks along with the NHL’s New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. ESPN on a national basis is also getting set for a long-awaited streaming rollout, the latest sign of transformation in the traditional TV business, which is evolving rapidly as the number of pay-TV subscribers continues to drop.

While nothing in the official announcement suggested a larger blending of the streaming operations of MSG and YES, consolidation has been the key word across all of streaming lately. WWE Network merged with Peacock in 2021, Paramount+ and Showtime have come together and Disney and Hulu are in beta with a “one-app experience” seen as a precursor to a full merger down the line.

GAME will not just be working for its two owners. It will offer distribution services, including platform technology, operational support and comprehensive data analytics to third parties, using the technical and operational expertise MSG and YES have developed. The sports media business has precedents for the setup, most notably Major League Baseball’s Bamtech, a pioneering streaming outfit later acquired by Disney as the foundation for its streaming push in the late-2010s.

“As we continue to capitalize on the momentum created by YES’ award-winning digital offerings, we look forward to collaborating with MSG Networks to further elevate the fan experience,” YES Network CEO Jon Litner said in a press release. “With the launch of GAME, we are excited to develop new product offerings, and premium features and functionality, to serve audiences like never before, while also providing a scalable tech solution for third-party content owners seeking to deliver state-of-the-art streaming experiences to their customers.”

MSG Networks CEO Andrea Greenberg said the new venture will “marry our collective insight, expertise and best-in-class technology not only to explore enhancements to our own products, but also to offer other networks, teams and sports properties an efficient way to launch a state-of-the-art streaming service. We are excited to partner with YES to create solutions for third-party content providers looking for a seamless way to reach new audiences.”

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