Sinclair is calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to preserve free, over-the-air access to major sporting events, warning that the continued migration of sports rights to streaming platforms is undermining both viewers and the economics of broadcast television.
In comments submitted to the FCC, Sinclair said live sports remain a cornerstone of the broadcast ecosystem, driving large audiences and supporting the financial model that sustains local television stations and journalism.
The company argued that the shift toward subscription-based streaming services is fragmenting access to sports, increasing costs for consumers and making it more difficult for fans to find and follow games. That fragmentation, Sinclair said, risks eroding one of the last shared viewing experiences that consistently attracts mass audiences.
Sports programming continues to dominate television viewership, with the vast majority of the most-watched broadcasts each year tied to live sporting events, particularly professional and college football. Those events also generate significant advertising revenue, which remains critical to the viability of broadcast networks and their local affiliates.
Sinclair warned that the loss of high-value sports rights could have broader consequences for local media, as stations rely on the revenue generated by those events to fund news operations and other community-focused programming. The broadcaster also pointed to the substantial public investment in professional sports, including billions of dollars in taxpayer support for stadium construction and financing. Given that level of public subsidy, Sinclair argued that maintaining broad, free access to games should remain a priority for policymakers.
To strengthen broadcasters’ ability to compete for sports rights, Sinclair urged the FCC to revisit its ownership rules, including limits on station ownership, which the company said restrict scale and financial competitiveness.
While Sinclair has predicated its investment in local news programming on its ability to continue offering premium sports broadcasts, the company has also consolidated newsrooms in several parts of the country that has resulted in less local news serving specific communities.
Last month, Sinclair announced a plan to consolidate its newsrooms in the Tulsa market, a move that involved one of its TV stations bidding farewell to local news anchors in favor of a new format where field reporters produced packages that are assembled into a new kind of newscast. In January, Sinclair also confirmed its intention to merge the newsrooms at two of its local TV stations in New England as part of a broader brand refresh of those outlets.
Three years ago, Sinclair laid off the entire newsroom at its Oregon CBS affiliate KTVL (Channel 10), with local newscasts replaced with a national program called “The National Desk,” produced out of Sinclair’s Washington, D.C. ABC affiliate WJLA (Channel 7). The same program replaced local news broadcasts at WNWO (Channel 24, NBC), Sinclair’s TV stations in Toledo.
