MLB has long been tied to regional sports networks for local broadcasts but is now in talks to launch a streaming service that would allow fans to watch hometown teams without a cable subscription.

The NBA and NHL could team up with MLB to create a local sports streaming package, which would exist alongside cable broadcasts and MLB’s out-of-market streaming service MLB TV.

The new service could range from $10 to $20 per month, depending on geographic region.

• The move sets up tricky negotiations with Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair bought the rights to 21 RSNs from Disney in 2019 in a deal worth as much as $10.6 billion, borrowing $8.2 billion to fund the deal.
• Bally’s bought the naming rights for those networks, which broadcast 16 NBA teams, 14 MLB teams, and 12 NHL teams, in a 10-year, $85 million deal in March.
• MLB could reduce the roughly $1 billion Sinclair pays annually for broadcasting rights to the league to gain its approval of the new service.

Dish Network has been shedding RSNs, dropping MASN and NBC Sports Network in March and AT&T SportsNet last month. Dish lost around 66,000 subscribers after dropping Sinclair’s RSNs in 2019.

MLB viewership was down 12% from 2019 in the 2021 season, but MLB TV had its best year since its 2002 launch, with viewers watching 10.5 billion minutes of content.

FIFA is ending its long-term exclusive partnership with Electronic Arts as it looks to widen its gaming and esports portfolio.

The two parties first struck a deal in 1993 that will expire in 2022. FIFA is reportedly seeking more than double its current $150 million annual licensing fee.

FIFA’s statement, in part: “It is clear that this needs to be a space that is occupied by more than one party controlling all rights.”

The organization added that it will be in a better position to serve its 211 member associations as they take advantage of emerging opportunities in gaming and soccer.

• The “FIFA” series is estimated to be worth more than $2 billion annually to EA.
• Since its October 2020 release, “FIFA 21” has more than 31 million players.
• “FIFA 22” already has 9.1 million players following its global release on Oct. 1.
• More than 140 million people have played EA Sports titles over the last 12 months.

EA posted $1.6 billion in revenue in fiscal Q1, slightly up from $1.5 billion in the same period a year prior.

The results were driven by the company’s live services segment, which generated $1.2 billion in revenue for the quarter. EA is projected to pocket $6.85 billion in revenue in FY 2022.

Slot-machine maker Aristocrat is buying gambling software developer Playtech for $3.7 billion, with plans to raise $964.2 million in a share sale to help fund the acquisition.

Aristocrat estimates the online gaming and sports betting market to be worth $70 billion and is looking to strengthen its position before that figure climbs even higher.

Playtech shares jumped more than 64% on the London Stock Exchange after the acquisition was announced.

The Australian-based Aristocrat has shown interest in sports betting before.

• In March, the company participated in a $15 million financing round for sports betting technology startup Simplebet.
• A year ago, Aristocrat CEO Trevor Croker said the company was looking to either “build or buy” its way into sports betting.

Croker said Aristocrat and Playtech will together focus on innovating in the space.

In a separate deal in September, Playtech agreed to sell Finalto, its financial trading division, to Gopher Investments for $250 million in an effort to focus on the “high-growth B2B and B2C gambling markets.”