NESN is in active discussions to expand beyond Boston and Pittsburgh, with chief executive David Wisnia saying the network is willing to operate or buy local media rights businesses for teams if the deal makes sense. He said the company is “open for business,” whether the next step is a partnership or an acquisition.
Wisnia did not name the markets or networks involved, but the message lands at a moment when the regional sports business is coming apart fast. Main Street Sports Group is imminently ceasing operations, forcing nearly 30 teams across MLB, the NBA and the NHL to find other local broadcast homes. Nine Main Street-affiliated MLB teams already found new homes prior to Opening Day last month.
The move would fit NESN’s recent playbook. In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery exited the regional sports network business, and NESN bought AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh before rebranding it SportsNet Pittsburgh. That venture, Wisnia said, has been “very successful,” giving NESN a second foothold outside the Boston area where it already carries the Red Sox and Bruins.
The broader business is still under pressure from cord-cutting, which has eroded the pay-TV model that sustained regional sports networks for decades. At the same time, MLB and the NBA are expected to centralize local broadcast rights within the next couple of years, a shift that could further weaken the remaining RSNs and leave fewer independent sellers standing when teams go looking for new distribution.
For NESN, that makes the current window unusually important. If the network wants to grow beyond its home market, it is looking at a shrinking field of rivals, a wave of team dislocation and a rights market that may not stay open for long.