Sinclair buys 21 Disney regional sports networks

The movement strengthens Sinclair (SBGI), which operates one of the largest networks of local television channels in the country. Sinclair has drawn criticism for pushing a conservative view of politics in his news and programming decisions.

Sinclair had previously tried to acquire Tribune Media, but the deal was eventually canceled after being closely scrutinized by the regulators. Tribune then sued Sinclair, claiming that the company had been "unnecessarily aggressive" in negotiations with the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission.

Disney (DIS) had to sell regional sports networks under an agreement with the Department of Justice, which allowed the media conglomerate to proceed with the purchase of 21st Century Fox.

If this agreement is approved by the Ministry of Justice, this agreement will make Sinclair the owner of the largest collection of regional sports networks on the market, says the press release.

The deal would give Sinclair the exclusive rights to 42 professional teams from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

Sinclair President and CEO Chris Ripley said in a statement that it was a "very exciting transaction" for the company.

"While consumer buying habits have changed, the tradition of watching sports and live news remains rooted in our culture," Ripley said. "As one of the country's leading local news producers and an experienced producer of sports content, we are ideally placed to transfer our skills to broadcast and focus more on superior sports programming."

The agreement does not include the YES network, which broadcasts Yankees games for the New York metropolitan area. Disney is also required to sell this network.

Sinclair and Disney said in the press release that in 2018, the 21 regional sports networks had generated revenues of $ 3.8 billion and had 74 million subscribers.