 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Western, Central and NorthwesternPennsylvania West Virginia EasternOhio Western Maryland SouthwesternNew York Worldwide (via satellite) |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Fenway Sports Group Pittsburgh Baseball, Inc |
| Sister channels | NESN |
| History | |
| Launched | April 13, 1986; 39 years ago (1986-04-13) |
| Former names |
|
| Links | |
| Website | sportsnetpittsburgh.com |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol television |
| FuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) is an Americanregional sports network servingGreater Pittsburgh andwestern Pennsylvania. Jointly owned byFenway Sports Group andRobert Nutting via thePittsburgh Penguins andPittsburgh Pirates respectively, it serves as the regional broadcaster of both teams. It is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with some of its operations handled from the facilities of sister networkNESN in Watertown, Massachusetts.
The channel was first launched byTele-Communications Inc in April 1986 as theKBL Entertainment Network, which featured a mixture of sports and entertainment programming. After being transferred to TCI subsidiaryLiberty Media, KBL was rebranded as part of itsPrime Sports chain of regional sports networks in 1994, and subsequently became a charter member ofFox Sports Net upon its establishment in 1996.
After a corporate restructuring that brought Liberty's networks underDirecTV, the channel was rebranded asRoot Sports Pittsburgh in 2011, and thenAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh under theAT&T SportsNet brand after DirecTV was acquired byAT&T. In 2023,Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would sell or shut down its regional sports networks: in August 2023, it was announced that the Penguins would acquire the network and rebrand it as SportsNet Pittsburgh in October 2023, with NESN—a sister via the Penguins' parent company Fenway Sports Group—assuming day-to-day operations. Prior to their 2024 season, the Pirates also acquired a stake in the network.
As of August 2023[update], SportsNet Pittsburgh is available oncable providers throughout nearly all of Pennsylvania (outside thePhiladelphia market), almost all ofWest Virginia, westernMaryland, easternOhio, southwestern border areas ofNew York andAshland, Kentucky, reaching more than 2.4 million homes; it is also available in theColumbus, Ohio, market throughDirecTV Stream, though Penguins broadcasts areblacked out due to the presence of theColumbus Blue Jackets.[1] It is also available nationwide onsatellite viaDirecTV.
The channel launched on April 13, 1986, asPirates Cable Network, exclusively serving thePittsburgh metropolitan area; its first sports event telecast on that date was aMajor League Baseball game between thePittsburgh Pirates andChicago Cubs fromThree Rivers Stadium, announced byMike Lange, in which the Pirates shut out the Cubs, 8–0.
The network commenced full-time broadcasts on April 24, 1986, as theKBL Entertainment Network, in order to allow other sports besides the Pirates to be included on the network. Its first regular broadcast was a Pirates home game against theNew York Mets.[2] The network was initially owned byTele-Communications Inc. (now part ofComcast), then the largestcable television provider in the Pittsburghmarket. KBL quickly expanded its cable coverage. As early as May 9, 1986, its cable footprint roughly approximated its present six-state coverage area.
While it primarily carried sports-related programming, KBL also served as a general entertainment cable channel while under TCI ownership, essentially filling the void left afterindependent stationWPGH-TV (channel 53) became a charter affiliate of theFox Broadcasting Company seven months after KBL's debut. It airedchildren's programming for part of the day, including reruns of theJohn Candy animated seriesCamp Candy.[2]
In 1994, TCI transferred the channel to its corporate parentLiberty Media; KBL then immediately dropped all entertainment programming and converted the renamedPrime Sports KBL into an affiliate of Prime SportsChannel America, a partnership between Liberty'sPrime Network and theCablevision/NBC-ownedSportsChannel America regional sports network groups. In 1995, Prime Network's retail subsidiary, Prime Sports Merchandising, purchased some sports apparel stores located insideshopping malls and rebranded them as Prime Sports Shops, promoting them on its networks including KBL.[3]
In 1996,News Corporation, which formed a sports division for theFox network two years earlier after it obtained the broadcast rights to theNational Football Conference and sought to create a group of regional sports networks, acquired a 50% interest in the Prime Network from TCI parent Liberty Media.[4] Later that year on November 1, News Corporation and Liberty Media relaunched the Prime Network affiliates as part of the newFox Sports Net group, with Prime Sports KBL officially rebranding asFox Sports Pittsburgh.[5] The deal temporarily ended the Prime SportsChannel partnership, although News Corporation subsequently acquired most of the SportsChannel networks the following year;[6] the retail stores, meanwhile, retained the "Prime Sports" name for many years after the rebranding of the regional networks as part of Fox Sports Net. The channel was rebranded asFox Sports Net Pittsburgh in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner; subsequently in 2004, the channel shortened its name toFSN Pittsburgh, through the networks' de-emphasis of the "Fox Sports Net" brand.
On December 22, 2006, News Corporation sold its interest in FSN Pittsburgh and sister networksFSN Utah,FSN Northwest andFSN Rocky Mountain to Liberty Media, in an asset trade in which News Corporation also traded its 38.5% ownership stake in satellite providerDirecTV for $550 million in cash and stock, in exchange for Liberty Media's 16.3% stake in the company.[7] On May 4, 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced it would become a part of Liberty's entertainment unit, part of which would then bespun off into the separate company under the DirecTV name, in a deal in which Liberty would increase its share in DirecTV from 48% to 54%, with Liberty ownerJohn Malone and his family owning a 24% interest. DirecTV would operate its newly acquired FSN-affiliated networks throughDirecTV Sports Networks,[8] a new division formed when the split off from Liberty Media was completed on November 19, 2009.[9]
On December 17, 2010, DirecTV Sports Networks announced that its four Fox Sports Networks-affiliated regional outlets would be relaunched under the "Root Sports" brand.[10] The network officially rebranded asRoot Sports Pittsburgh on April 1, 2011, coinciding with the start of the2011 Major League Baseball season. For nominal purposes, the Root Sports networks continued to carry programming distributed mainly to the Fox Sports regional networks to provide supplementary sports and entertainment programming. On April 8, 2016, DirecTV Sports Networks rebranded under the AT&T name as AT&T Sports Networks.[11]
On June 12, 2017, AT&T Sports Networks announced that the network, along with Root Sports Southwest, and Root Sports Rocky Mountain, would rebrand as AT&T SportsNet with the channel becomingAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. All network programming and on-air talent remained intact, with the exception ofPaul Steigerwald, who was replaced in October 2017 bySteve Mears as the play-by-play announcer of the Penguins.[12][13][14] The name change took effect on July 14, 2017.
In July 2019, it was reported that AT&T was looking to sell its regional sports networks to reduce debt related to its acquisition ofTime Warner, as well as rolling out5G on itscell phone networks. Two potential suitors includedSinclair Broadcast Group, which had acquired Fox Sports Networks (withEntertainment Studios) amid theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney (and already had a decades-long presence in the Pittsburgh market as the owners of WPGH-TV/WPNT), as well asNBCUniversal, which ownsregional networks via itsNBC Sports division, and whose parent companyComcast is thecable provider in Pittsburgh.[15][16]
On October 1, 2021, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, along with sister networks AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, and Root Sports Northwest, was removed from Dish Network satellite and Sling streaming TV services.[17]
On February 24, 2023,Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to exit the RSN business, informing the teams that AT&T Sports Networks would file forchapter 7 bankruptcy unless deals were made for them to exit or take over the channels.Root Sports Northwest was not affected, as it is majority-owned by theSeattle Mariners.[18][19][20] While originally setting a deadline of March 31, it later reached an agreement to keep the networks operational through at least the end of the2023 Major League Baseball season.[21][22]The Athletic noted that Penguins ownerFenway Sports Group had experience in the RSN business via its operation ofNESN in Boston, and reported that the channel could be integrated with or replaced by a local feed of NESN.[23][24]
On August 28, 2023, it was reported that the Penguins had reached an agreement to acquire AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.[25] Two days later, it was announced that the network would be acquired by Fenway Sports Group via the Pittsburgh Penguins, and would be rebranded asSportsNet Pittsburgh on October 2. NESN will handle the day-to-day operations of the network.[26] It was initially uncertain whether the Pirates would continue to be televised by the channel, with sportswriters citing potentialconflict of interest concerns with FSG being the parent company of a competing MLB team, theBoston Red Sox.[25] On December 13, 2023, the Pirates announced that they had acquired a stake in SportsNet Pittsburgh, and confirmed that it would remain the team's home beginning in the 2024 season.[27] Team presidentTravis Williams stated that Major League Baseball was not worried about any conflict of interest concerns.[28]
On April 29, 2024, the network launchedSNP 360 as its over-the-top streaming platform. Modelled afterNESN 360, the service allows viewers to stream live and video on-demand content and event coverage. It is availableat no additional charge to SportsNet Pittsburgh subscribers on television providers, and sold as adirect-to-consumer subscription service priced at $17.99 per-month.[29]
SportsNet Pittsburgh carries Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, and other area professional, collegiate, and high-school sporting events. To fill out its schedule outside local sports, the network carries live coverage of theProfessional Women's Hockey League,college ice hockey, and theBritish Basketball League, as well as tape-delayed coverage of profootvolley,kickboxing,poker,MMA,boxing,padel,jai alai, andWorld Chase Tag. The network also airsgolf programming,sports betting programs,Savannah Bananas baseball, regional outdoor programming, and several documentary and discussion-based shows, includingSports Stars of Tomorrow andIn Depth with Graham Bensinger.
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SportsNet Pittsburgh maintains exclusive regional rights to most regular season and any early-roundStanley Cup playoff games involving theNHL'sPittsburgh Penguins; it also carries pre- and postgame coverage and Penguins-related programs such as classic game re-airs, historical programming,Penguins in 2 (condensed game replays),Inside Penguins Hockey,The Raw Tapes, andPenguins Game Plan.
On April 27, 2011, the network reached a contract extension with the Penguins, allowing the network to continue carrying most of the team's NHL game telecasts through the end of the 2028–29 NHL season.[30]
The network holds the regional cable television rights to thePittsburgh Pirates ofMajor League Baseball, carrying over 150 regular season andSpring training games annually, as well as pre- and postgame coverage, rebroadcasts of recent games (as part ofPirates Instant Replay), classic game re-airs, and the team analysis programInside Pirates Baseball presented by Allegheny Health Network.[31]
From the 2013 to 2018 seasons, Sportsnet's telecasts of Pirates games were blacked out on DirecTV in many portions of the Pirates' claimed territory, including theColumbus, Ohio, market, for reasons not released publicly. Despite the blackout, DirecTV did not allow Pirates games to be shown in the blacked-out area on itsMLB Extra Innings package. The blackout was lifted in time for the 2019 season.
Sportsnet’s partnership with thePittsburgh Passion of theWomen’s Football Alliance began in the late 2000’s.[32] Telecasts were initially condensed game replays, showing highlights of the previous game in a fast-paced, one-hour time window.[33] As of 2024, the Passion have returned to the network after a decade-long hiatus.[citation needed]
The network formerly served as the cable home of theNFL'sPittsburgh Steelers, broadcasting team-related magazine and analysis programs such as weeklypress conferences held by coachMike Tomlin during the regular season and the team coach's showThe Mike Tomlin Show (both were hosted byStan Savran). This continued through the 2016 season.KDKA-TV now airsThe Mike Tomlin Show, while Tomlin's Tuesday press conference is no longer televised live. Although regular Steelers coverage is no longer part of the network's lineup, team documentary programming continues to air from time to time, usually focused on historical figures such asArt Rooney andChuck Noll. National NFL content fromVSIN andPro Football Weekly is also aired by SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Beginning with the 2024 season, Sportsnet airs select matches from thePittsburgh Riverhounds SC of theUSL Championship. The network shares the local broadcast rights to the Riverhounds withCBS owned independent stationWPKD-TV (KDKA+).[34]
As Pittsburgh does not have an NBA team of its own, SportsNet Pittsburgh carries select Saturday and holiday regular seasonNBA games during the Basketball season, with theCleveland Cavaliers andPhiladelphia 76ers the most frequent.
The network currently serves as the cable home of theAHL'sWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, broadcasting weekend home games during the regular season. Prior to the network acquiring the rights to the games, the team had no television coverage in either Pittsburgh's or Wilkes-Barre'sDMAs.
Sportsnet airs select games featuring theIndianapolis Indians, theTriple-Aminor league affiliate of the Pirates.
Sportsnet airs select games featuring theAltoona Curve, theDouble-Aminor league affiliate of the Pirates.
SportsNet Pittsburgh formerly carried the exclusive rights to the West Virginia Mountaineers, carrying allfootball andmen's basketball games not picked up by a national network, as well as select women's basketball games, select other live events (women's soccer, baseball, etc.), and thefootball team's weekly Tuesday press conferences. Although the network lost rights to the live events portion of their WVU coverage toESPN+ beginning with the 2020-2021 season, a coaches show involving all Mountaineer sports andMountaineer Gameday Live, a live pregame show for Mountaineer football and men's basketball, still air on the channel.[39]
Similarly, the network formerly carried football, men's and women's basketball, and other events featuring thePittsburgh Panthers, which were produced first byESPN Regional Television and later byFox Sports South andRaycom Sports once the Panthers moved to theACC.[40] Additionally, the network aired a number of Panthers-related insider programs, includingPat Narduzzi's weekly press conferences, ThePat Narduzzi Show with Larry Richert, and the magazine programBeyond The Script, which was hosted by the network's Rob King.[41][42] The partnership ended following the 2020-21 athletic year.
Additional collegiate programming formerly carried by SportsNet has included:
West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission high school football, baseball, softball, and boys' and girls' basketball championship games, as well as occasional broadcasts of regular-season WVSSAC football contests, are carried by SportsNet Pittsburgh.[43][44]
The network is the regional home of the annualPONY League World Series, which is held locally inWashington County, Pennsylvania. Former Pirates' play-by-play announcerLanny Frattare calls most games.[45][46]
SportsNet also provides extensive coverage of Pittsburgh-area high school athletics. Notable events broadcast by the network include the Pittsburgh City League boys’ and girls’ basketball championships, thePenguins Cup, and theSerra Catholic Baseball Invitational.[47] The network also provides coverage ofWestern Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) boys' and girls' regular season basketball.
Until 2019, WPIAL regular season, playoff, and championship football games were a network staple.WPCW took over the rights to all 6 championship games in 2018, and the rights to additional playoff and regular season games in 2019.[48]
The network provides live pre- and postgame coverage for all Penguins and Pirates games, including games aired on other networks. With the sale of the network to Fenway Sports Group, pre- and postgame coverage has been expanded from 30 minutes to an hour before and after each game, as of October 2023.
Since 2021, SportsNet has served as the local affiliate ofVSIN'sFollow The Money, a 3-hour sports betting program that airs weekdays from 7-10am.[49] Additional content from VSIN was added in the fall of 2023, includingThe Lombardi Line and betting-oriented NFL and college football gameday programming. Previously, the network aired simulcasts ofAudience Network'sThe Rich Eisen Show andThe Dan Patrick Show in similar time slots.
Throughout the previous 2 decades, locally-produced studio programming has been drastically reduced from nightly programs to pre- and postgame coverage only.Savran on SportsBeat,Pittsburgh Sports Tonight, and live Steelers coverage are just some of the local studio shows that were cancelled during the network's ownership under Liberty Media in the late 2000s.[50] Nationally distributed Fox Sports studio shows also aired in both live and tape-delay until they were moved toFox Sports 1 upon its 2013 launch.
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