Disney buying Fox for $60b appears to be a real possibility. This is a big deal because of the content that it brings to Disney for its upcoming war with Netflix.
Remember ESPN. They are planning to launch a direct-to-consumer (DTC) offering and the 22 regional sports networks (RSN) from Fox would be huge.
These RSNs currently carry 44 different MLB, NBA, and NHL franchises and air 5k+ live sports events every year.
A few of the markets where Fox has an RSN:
1) New York
2) Los Angeles
3) Dallas
4) Cleveland
5) Detroit
6) Kansas City
YES Network. New York pay-TV subscribers pay $6.50/monthfor the YES Network which means that Disney would be collecting more than $15/monthfor sports (ESPN + YES) from every pay-TV subscriber in New York.
Flashback. Local Prime-Time Numbers For The 29 U.S. Teams Show MLB Rules Summer TV
The local baseball game is the most-watched primetimeprogram (broadcast or cable) in 11 of the 29 markets narrowly missing out on the 12th by one-hundredth of a point (New York Yankees).
Baseball is top 3 in 2/3 of the markets.
More:
1) Disney’s latest proposal to Fox is a big bet on local TV sports — and ESPN
2) Behind the Murdochs’ Sale Talks: Scale, Price and Family Dynamics
3) Media Companies Aim To Build ‘Addicts’ With Direct-To-Consumer Video Services
4) How Cable Companies Learned to Love Netflix (or Hulu) and Chill Out
