Sinclair expressed interest in acquiring four RSNs AT&T already owns, including the Pirates' affiliateGETTY IMAGES
Sinclair's $9.6B purchase of Disney's RSNs has officially closed "after getting the green light" from the DOJ, according to Joe Flint of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley after the deal's completion on Friday said that the company "would be interested in acquiring more properties, particularly" the four RSNs AT&T owns in Seattle, Denver, Pittsburgh and Houston. He said, "We of course would be very interested in looking at those and filling out our regional sports network footprint." Ripley said the Disney deal is the "culmination of a five-year push to get more exposure in sports." He noted that Sinclair now "derives 75% of its revenue from local sports and news." A priority for Sinclair will be to "try to negotiate a deal" with Dish Network, which dropped the Fox RSNs last month in a dispute over pricing (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/23). In L.A., Meg James wrote the deal brings "new ownership to a cluster of popular channels." Sinclair did "not immediately say how it intends to rebrand" the RSNs. But the channels will "substantially boost Sinclair’s business" (L.A. TIMES, 8/24).
