Pirates join SportsNet Pittsburgh with Penguins to televise games

The Pittsburgh Pirates found a new television home by becoming joint owners of SportsNet Pittsburgh with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a partnership that begins at the start of the new year.

The Pirates announced Wednesday morning that they have entered an agreement to jointly own SportsNet Pittsburgh, which previously carried their games under the name AT&T Sports Net before Fenway Sports Group bought the regional sports network from Warner Bros. Discovery in late August.

“Above all else, this was the right thing to do for our fans,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “From the outset of this process, the most important thing to us was to ensure that our fans have the same level of access to Pirates game telecasts and the same high-quality production that they enjoy today. This agreement accomplishes that and more as we enable Pittsburgh sports fans to continue to enjoy a two-team, 24/7 sports channel.”

"Talking about...what the opportunity was for us to do something great here... Pittsburgh sports fans want that, they're looking for that and we wanted to make sure @pirates and @penguins games were still on the air here in Pittsburgh."
-Pirates President Travis Williams pic.twitter.com/oNLQ74bOQ7

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) December 14, 2023

Continuity was important to the organization, as games will continue to be available by cable, satellite and streaming services.

Forbes reported in October that the Pirates made MLB’s second-biggest jump in television viewership last season, with a 71.8% ratings increase (2.45 to 4.21), behind only the World Series champion Texas Rangers (98.6%, from 0.71 to 1.41 on Bally Sports Southwest). The Pirates ranked sixth in MLB in television ratings in 2023, behind the Philadelphia Phillies, three NL Central rivals — the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds — and the Baltimore Orioles.

Terms weren’t announced for the TV deal, but it is expected to be a multi-year agreement that ensures continuity for Pirates fans. The broadcast teams featuring Greg Brown and Joe Block on play by play and former Pirates Matt Capps, Bob Walk, Neil Walker, John Wehner and Kevin Young as color analysts, are team employees who call games on both television and radio and are expected to return to their roles.

Where there could be tweaks is in the expanded pregame and postgame shows. SportsNet Pittsburgh is expected to announce details of expanded pregame and postgame coverage, which are expected to increase from 30 minutes to a full hour and could lead to possible in-studio additions.

About half of AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh’s staff was laid off the day after the MLB regular season ended. The Pirates have pushed for the return of host Rob King, sideline reporter Robby Incmikoski and studio analyst Michael McKenry. They also have shown interest in adding former Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer, who did a guest spot late last season, and the channel interviewed former Pirates pitcher Steven Brault at the winter meetings in Nashville earlier this month.

Daily operations of SportsNet Pittsburgh will continue to be managed by New England Sports Network (NESN), which took over the AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh studio and offices on the North Shore.

“We are thrilled that the Pirates are joining the SportsNet Pittsburgh partnership,” NESN president and CEO Sean McGrail said in a statement. “Over 150 Pirates games in addition to the Penguins telecasts makes SportsNet Pittsburgh a must-have sports destination for Pittsburgh fans.”