Boston NESN, the regional esports network that broadcasts Red Sox and Bruins games, will be the first RSN to offer a full range of programming directly to its customers through the streaming service, allowing them to skip the television package payment.
Called NESN 360, the service will cost $29.99 per month or $329.99 per year ($1 each after the first month’s offering). The annual option also includes 8 tickets to the Red Sox Games this season. NESN is owned by Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Red Sox.
NESN 360 will only be available in New England due to regional rights agreements with the “home” zones of the Red Sox and Bruins, and the league has broadcast rights to its MLB.tv service outside of the region.
As important as the streaming service is, RSNs serve as one of the last bastions of important exclusive content related to the pay-TV package. For most sports fans in the US, the only way to watch your favorite MLB, NHL or NBA home games is to pay for cable or satellite TV that includes an RSN.local. NESN 360 will support Pay TV authentication, so if a user pays for cable, they can access the service.
But with a direct exchange, users will have other options (albeit more expensive than Netflix, HBO Max or ESPN+), and NESN has less leverage for the next round of cable car negotiations.
There have been some experiments in other markets, but none to the extent that the NESN does. YES Network in New York, which is the home of the New York Yankees, streams 21 games a year on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon owns part of YES.
In addition to live games (and pre-game and post-game coverage), NESN 360 includes the content you need, including original NESN programming, and some full games and moments.
“NESN 360 is the latest in NESN’s long history of innovation and offers fans the ultimate sports viewing experience,” said NESN President and CEO Sean McGrail on Wednesday. “We believe the live subscription option will build on NESN’s access to the region and will be a great addition to the valuable existing partnership we have with TV providers to bring NESN to every New England household.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
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