BLOOMBERG NEWS' Ahmed, Novy-Williams & Moritz reported AT&T is "weighing a sale" of its four RSNs as part of a "plan to cut" as much as $8B in debt by the end of the year. Sources said that AT&T "hasn't started a formal process to sell the networks, and there are no guarantees a deal will be announced." The four networks -- AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, AT&T SportsNet Southwest and Root Sports Northwest -- have rights to "more than two dozen pro teams, college programs and NCAA conferences" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/2).
MATCH PENALTY: The FCC ruled that Comcast "doesn’t have to pipe beIN Sports soccer games into millions of homes" that carry Xfinity. In Philadelphia, Bob Fernandez noted this is the "second time that the FCC decided in Comcast's favor" in its dispute with beIN over European soccer matches. Comcast has "not distributed beIN Sports channels for about a year." beIN has claimed to the FCC that Comcast "fails to distribute its soccer-focused cable channels to American audiences so that it can give its own sports channels a boost in TV ratings and revenue, which would violate federal law" (INQUIRER.com, 7/2).
LONG LIVE THE POPE: Entercom Regional President Susan Larkin said she would "love to see" Mike Francesa stay at WFAN "forever." Larkin said that she "'absolutely' hopes Francesa stays beyond this year," but confirmed that looking ahead, WFAN "will continue to seek hosts who can expand the listening audience." That includes groups such as "women and people of color, but perhaps most importantly, younger people in general" (NEWSDAY, 6/29).
LOOKING AHEAD: DIGIDAY's Lucinda Southern notes DAZN has "increased the amount of original and licensed content it puts outside its paywall, in order to both acquire new, and retain existing, subscribers." The company "plans to be in 20 markets" by '20. However, in order to hit its growth targets, DAZN has "started exploring ways to expand more beyond live content into original documentaries, as well as offering more free access to live streams" (DIGIDAY.com, 7/3).
