Pittsburgh Pirates to Remain on SportsNet Pittsburgh After Becoming Partial Owners of Channel
The Pirates will remain on the same regional sports network as the Pittsburgh Penguins thanks to the new deal.
Major League Baseball may not like the fact that so many of its teams play on regional sports networks, but it doesn’t seem to have much choice in the matter. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a new multiyear deal that will see their games stay on the SportsNet Pittsburgh regional sports network (RSN).
- The new Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasting deal will take hold on Jan. 1, 2024.
- The team will become part owners of the channel, which is controlled by the parent company of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- There has been no word on whether the Pirates will establish an in-market streaming option.
The Pittsburgh Pirates had a bit of a decision to make when it came to their broadcast rights this year. The Post Gazette reports that MLB has been “aggressively pursuing” teams like the Pirates to produce their games themselves, much as it did with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres during the 2023 season.
Ultimately, the Pirates decided to return to their former home of SportsNet Pittsburgh. That channel was formerly known as AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, but its former owner Warner Bros. Discovery decided it wanted to be finished with regional sports networks by the end of this year.
The Pirates will be part-owners of the channel under the terms of their new deal with SportsNet Pittsburgh, which can be streamed on both DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo. Fenway Sports Group is the majority owner of the network, the same company that owns the Boston Red Sox and its affiliated RSN NESN, as well as the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
