Hulu Drops Fox Regional Sports Networks from its Service Lineup
Alright, sports buffs, brace yourselves for some bad news. Fox regional sports programming is bidding adieu from another streaming service, and this time it's Hulu.
Starting this Friday, live TV plans, which previously carried Sinclair-owned regional sports networks, will no longer have access to them. According to Hulu's support page, subscribers will still have access to a multitude of national and local networks based on their locations, including ESPN, TBS, TNT, FS1, FS2, Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC, and more. However, they'll be missing over a dozen Fox regional sports networks. These include FS Arizona, FS Detroit, FS Florida, FS Midwest (including FS Indiana and FS Kansas City), FS North (including FS Wisconsin), FS Ohio, FS Prime Ticket, FS San Diego, FS South (including FS Tennessee and FS Carolinas), FS Southeast, FS Southwest (including FS Oklahoma and FS New Orleans), FS Sun, FS West, Marquee Sports Network, SportsTime Ohio, YES Network, and more.
Neither Sinclair nor Hulu have provided comments regarding this matter yet.
Hulu isn't alone in this predicament. Earlier this year, Fubo TV also lost support for Fox regional sports. However, it later picked up ESPN programming. YouTube TV lost support for these networks last month, but Sinclair continues to be in discussions to find a resolution.
In a statement, Barry Faber, Sinclair's president of distribution and network relations, stated that Hulu was offered a deal consistent with terms agreed upon by other distributors, but the streaming service declined these fair and market-based terms.
In the realm of cord-cutters, reliable sports programming continues to be as elusive as a unicorn. Sigh.
Now, a bit of background. Fox Regional Sports Networks, now known as Bally Sports, were previously owned by Fox Corporation but were sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2019. These networks supply local sports coverage for teams across various sports leagues, which is indispensable for fans in specific regions.
The disappearance of these networks from streaming services like Hulu is mainly due to high costs associated with carrying these networks and the challenges in negotiating favorable terms with Sinclair. Similar predicaments affect other streaming platforms, such as FuboTV and YouTube TV, due to cost and licensing disputes. Ongoing efforts to revamp sports offerings, like Fubo's new bundles, are being made, but specific updates on negotiations between Sinclair and major streaming services are not currently available.
So, there you have it. Keep your fingers crossed for some positive news in the near future. The streaming world can be as unpredictable as a last-second game-winning shot.
- Despite the departure of Fox Regional Sports Networks from Hulu, subscribers will still have access to a variety of national and local networks, such as ESPN, which is supported by the streaming service.
- Just like Hulu, Fubo TV also lost support for Fox regional sports earlier this year, but later secured ESPN programming, offering a glimmer of hope for negotiations between streaming services and Sinclair.
- In a statement, Sinclair's president of distribution and network relations, Barry Faber, agreed that Hulu was offered a deal consistent with terms agreed upon by other distributors, but the streaming service declined these fair and market-based terms.
- In the future, the continued absence of Fox regional sports networks from streaming platforms like Hulu could make reliable sports programming as elusive as a unicorn, emphasizing the need for ongoing efforts to revamp sports offerings and find resolutions to licensing disputes.
