Comcast this week became the second major pay television provider to offer customers a lower-priced, sports-inclusive package of channels — but, as with other offerings, it won’t come without a few sacrifices.
The package, called “Sports & News TV,” unlocks access to a customer’s local broadcast stations — including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC stations and affiliates, along with those that carry PBS, CW Network and My Network programming — along with news and sports-inclusive channels owned by Comcast’s NBC Universal, Fox Corporation and the Walt Disney Company, among others. Those channels include ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and NewsNation.
Notably absent are Warner Bros Discovery’s (WBD) TNT Sports channels — TBS, TNT and Tru TV — which will not be carried in the Sports & News TV package at launch, a Comcast spokesperson confirmed. Also missing are regional sports networks — except for NBC Sports Philadelphia, which will be available in the Philadelphia region because the channel has yet to move to Xfinity TV’s “Ultimate” tier, as was the case in Northern California and Boston, the other markets where NBC owns regional sports channels — and major league-owned or operated channels like NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL Network.
That means fans of most basketball, baseball and hockey teams will have to look for other solutions to watch some local and national games that won’t be available through the Sports & News TV package, as will those who want to stay on top of some college sports, like the NCAA March Madness tournament, which is distributed by CBS Sports and TNT Sports.
Baseball, basketball and hockey fans who want access to national games aired on TNT Sports can purchase Max with the B/R Sports add on to stream live games from TBS, TNT and Tru TV. Max starts at $10 per month, and the B/R Sports add-on will eventually cost $10 per month (for now, the B/R Sports add-on is included without any extra cost).
Those who want access to certain regional sports channels can typically access them through standalone premium streaming services — FanDuel Sports Network, which previously operated as Bally Sports, offers access to live games through its own streaming product for around $20 per month, and Altitude Sports offers something similar through its Altitude Plus service. MSG Networks and YES Network are available through the Gotham Sports app for separate fees. NBC Sports plans to offer its regional sports networks through Peacock later this year, The Desk reported in December.
Die-hard sports fans who want access to NFL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, NHL Network and NBA TV can watch all those channels by adding the Sports & Entertainment Extra package from Xfinity TV, which costs an extra $10 per month. Some overseas National Football League (NFL) games are offered exclusively on NFL Network, while MLB Network, NHL Network and NBA TV offer a showcase of regionally-televised baseball, hockey and basketball events on a weekly basis.
All this means that, for the casual sports fan, Comcast’s new Sports & News TV package offers a good assortment of sports-inclusive channels for watching most football, basketball, baseball and hockey games — but those who want access to every single local and national game from just one of those four sports will have to tack on a streaming service or add-on package here or there in order to do so.
