Regional sports network
In the United States and Canada, a regional sports network is a cable television channel that presents sports programming to a local market or geographical region.
Historically, some RSNs originated as premium channels; since the 1990s, however, they have commonly been distributed through the expanded basic-programming tiers of cable and IPTV services, packaged alongside other national basic cable networks, and local broadcast stations and public, educational, and government access channels. Satellite providers often require subscribers to purchase a higher programming tier or a specialized sports tier to receive local and out-of-market regional sports networks.
Overview
The most important programming on a regional sports network consists of live broadcasts of professional and collegiate sporting events, as those games generate an overwhelming percentage of an RSN's advertising income, in addition to viewership. During the rest of the day, these channels show other sports and recreation programming ; rebroadcasts of sports events that aired as late as the day prior and paid programming may also be shown. These channels are often the source content for out-of-market sports packages.Regional sports networks are generally among the most expensive channels carried by cable television providers, due to the expense of rights to the local sports they carry; this higher subscriber fees received by television providers through retransmission consent carriage agreements coupled with percentages of other forms of revenue are used to pay local and regional teams for the right to broadcast their games. A typical RSN, as of 2012, carries a monthly retransmission fee of $2 to $3 per subscriber, lower than the rates providers charge to carry ESPN and premium channels but higher than the rates for other cable networks. These high prices are supported by demand for the often-popular local sports teams they carry ; carriage disputes between distributors and RSNs are often controversial and protracted. The expense of the per subscriber rate led some major providers such as Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS to begin incorporating a fixed "regional sports network fee" as a separate surcharge within its billing statements as early as 2013.
Most regional sports networks in the United States are either affiliated with Fox Sports Networks or the NBC Sports Regional Networks, which produce and distribute supplementary programming – including professional and college sports events involving out-of-market teams, and sports-centered reality and documentary series – for their individual owned-and-operated member networks and any RSNs not under common ownership that receive their "nationally" distributed programming through affiliation agreements. in the past, some RSNs also carried supplemental programming from networks such as America One, AMGTV or ESPNews, though vertical integration and the impact of streaming services removing game broadcasts from low-tier broadcast networks has effectively ended this practice.
In Canada, Sportsnet operates four regional sports networks, and the otherwise nationally distributed TSN also maintains some regional operations. This differs from the operational structure of RSNs in the United States, which are independently operated from national sports networks.
An increasing trend is for the teams whose games make up the lucrative programming to own the RSN themselves. This serves two purposes: first, the teams make more money operating an RSN than they would collecting a licensing fee from an individual network or a group, such as Fox Sports Net. Second, by owning their own RSN, teams that must share revenues with other members of their league can mask its broadcast-related profits. Under the old model, a team collects a large fee for licensing its games to the RSN. That fee would then be disclosed and shared with the other teams in the league. Under the new, team-owned RSN model, the team demands only a nominal fee, so the profits for local broadcasts stay with the team. The owned-and-operated RSN model generally works best in the largest markets where advertising and cable revenue is larger; in smaller or fringe markets, the sale of rights fees is more lucrative.
For example, the New York Rangers and New York Knicks have long co-owned their RSN, MSG; however, they also have purchased the rights to their rivals, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. MSG also owns the rights to the Buffalo Sabres, however the team and ownership controls game production and that has since evolved into a separate MSG sub-channel for the Sabres market called MSG Western New York which is dual-controlled and programmed by MSG and Pegula Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Sabres effectively making it an owned and operated RSN. The Sabres once had their own owned-and-operated RSN before, Empire Sports Network, however instability in the Sabres and channel's ownership at the time led to difficulties and Empire was shut down in 2005 in favor of selling the Sabres' rights to MSG.
United States
Fox Sports Networks
For years, the default RSN for many markets was owned by Fox Sports. Fox Sports Networks, which launched on November 1, 1996 as Fox Sports Net, was created through former parent News Corporation's October 1995 purchase of a 50% equity stake in Liberty Media-owned Prime Sports Networks, co-founded in 1988 by Bill Daniels and Liberty's then-sister company Tele-Communications Inc. The group expanded further in June 1997, Fox/Liberty Networks, the joint venture company operated by News Corporation and Liberty Media, purchased a 40% interest in the Cablevision-owned SportsChannel group. Fox Sports Networks serve as the regional counterparts to their national sister networks Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2.As part of a rebranding effort, the collective branding of the networks – which eventually became "FSN " in 2004 – was extended to Fox Sports with the start of the 2008 college football season. The networks that currently maintain affiliations with or are owned by Fox Sports Networks, and the major teams and athletic conferences the regional networks broadcast are as follows:
Current owned-and-operated outlets
Notes:- Originally launched in 1985 by Midwest Radio and Television, as WCCO II and was later relaunched as Midwest Sports Channel in 1989; National Sports Partners acquired the network from Viacom in 2000, as part of its swap of Washington, D.C.-based Home Team Sports to Comcast.
- Originally owned by Turner Broadcasting System and Liberty Media, News Corporation purchased Turner's interest in 1996, relaunching it as Fox Sports South in 1997. As part of the sale, Turner was prohibited from owning another RSN, but used a loophole to launch Turner South, which, on October 13, 2006, was sold to Fox and took on the SportSouth name.
- Originally launched in 1983 as Home Sports and Entertainment, the network eventually joined the Prime Sports group in 1990.
Current affiliates
Former Fox Sports affiliates
Some current networks were once owned-and-operated by Fox Sports Net, and continue to carry Fox Sports Networks-distributed national game telecasts and non-event programs, since the markets they serve do not have an FSN affiliate:| Channel | Notes | Former names |
| Fox Sports Houston | Shut down in 2012, after losing the broadcast rights to the Houston Rockets and Houston Astros to Comcast SportsNet Houston. | |
| FSN Bay Area | Sold to Comcast and relaunched as Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2008, now NBC Sports Bay Area. | Pacific Sports Network SportsChannel Bay Area SportsChannel Pacific |
| FSN Chicago | Shut down in 2006, after losing the broadcast rights to the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls to Comcast SportsNet Chicago, now NBC Sports Chicago. | Sportsvision Chicago SportsChannel Chicago |
| FSN New England | Sold to Comcast and relaunched as Comcast SportsNet New England in 2008, now NBC Sports Boston. | PRISM New England SportsChannel New England |
| FSN New York | Sold to Cablevision and relaunched as MSG Plus in February 2008; now owned by The Madison Square Garden Company. | Cablevision Sports 3 SportsChannel New York |
Alternate feeds and channels
Fox Sports Ohio
Fox Sports Ohio is unique among the regional Fox Sports Networks as it operates in two full-time 24-hour feeds, one for Cleveland and one for Cincinnati ; the Cincinnati feed formerly operated as a separate channel, SportsChannel Cincinnati, until it was converted into a subfeed of Fox Sports Ohio following Fox's acquisition and integration of the SportsChannel group into FSN in 1998. National programming is exactly the same on both feeds. However, only the Cincinnati feed carries Reds games, which are prohibited from airing in most of northeast Ohio because of territorial restrictions. Both feeds carry Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Cavaliers broadcasts, although not all air on both because of conflicts. Reds games televised by the Cincinnati feed are also broadcast on Fox Sports Indiana and Fox Sports Tennessee.Subfeeds and overflow feeds
Some Fox Sports affiliates maintain subfeeds to eliminate scheduling conflicts when two teams that the individual network has rights to are playing at the same time, in order to air both games at once. Fox Sports affiliates that operate these alternate feeds are:| Channel | Subfeed |
| Fox Sports South | Fox Sports Tennessee, Fox Sports Carolinas |
| Fox Sports Southwest | Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports New Orleans |
Some Fox Sports affiliates have alternate feeds for the same purpose, named after the host network with "Plus" as a suffix. In most cases, subfeeds and alternate feeds are only used during live game telecasts, and are replaced with the main feed's programming the rest of the time; however, these alternate feeds may provide sports-related programming which may be exclusive to that feed.
Some affiliates once operated merely as subfeeds, but have since become full-fledged regional channels in their own right. Fox Sports Kansas City and Fox Sports Indiana were once subfeeds of Fox Sports Midwest, and Fox Sports Wisconsin once operated as a subfeed of Fox Sports North.
NBC Sports Regional Networks
Seeing an opportunity to serve sports fans on a more local level and generate profits, cable conglomerate Comcast began creating their own RSN – Comcast SportsNet – in the late 1990s. The groundwork of this group was laid as a result of Comcast's March 1996 purchase of 66% equity in Philadelphia-based event organizer Spectacor, automatically giving it ownership of its two professional team franchises; this led to the creation of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which launched on October 1, 1997.Ironically, CSN would purchase a small number of RSNs previously owned by Fox Sports Networks, and acquired the local rights to professional teams that FSN regional networks carried. The January 2011 Comcast merger with NBCUniversal allowed NBC Sports to take operational control of these networks and they are expected to become more integrated with their sister national sports network, NBCSN.
In April 2017, Comcast SportsNet's California and Bay Area networks were rebranded under the NBC Sports brand; NBC Sports Regional Networks adopted the "NBC Sports" moniker on its other regional channels on October 2, 2017.
| Channel | Region served | Team broadcast rights | Non-professional sports broadcast rights | Notes | Former names |
| NBC Sports Bay Area | San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, Central California, Southern Oregon, Nevada | San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, San Jose Earthquakes | Stanford Cardinal sports, California Golden Bears sports, Pac-12 Conference sports, West Coast Conference sports, Mountain West Conference sports, Western Athletic Conference sports | Serves the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose area. | Pacific Sports Network SportsChannel Bay Area SportsChannel Pacific Fox Sports Bay Area Comcast SportsNet Bay Area |
| NBC Sports California | northern California, central California, parts of Oregon, parts of Nevada | Oakland Athletics, Sacramento Kings, San Jose Sharks, San Jose Earthquakes | California Golden Bears sports, San Francisco Dons sports, Sacramento State Hornets sports, Saint Mary's Gaels sports, UC Davis Aggies sports, Pacific Tigers sports, Nevada Wolf Pack sports, San Jose State Spartans sports | Based in Northern California; sister channel of NBC Sports Bay Area. | Comcast SportsNet West Comcast SportsNet California |
| NBC Sports Chicago | Chicago metropolitan area, northern and central Illinois, Iowa, northern Indiana, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, southwestern Michigan | Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls | Northern Illinois Huskies football, Illinois State Redbirds basketball, UIC Flames basketball | Owned by Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal, Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz. | Comcast SportsNet Chicago |
| NBC Sports Washington | Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., southern Pennsylvania, eastern West Virginia, southern Delaware, Hampton Roads, Outer Banks | Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Football Team , D.C. United, Washington Mystics, Chesapeake Bayhawks | Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball, Colonial Athletic Association sports | Based in Washington, D.C. | Home Team Sports Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic |
| NBC Sports Boston | Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island | Boston Celtics, New England Revolution, Boston Cannons, Maine Red Claws | PRISM New England SportsChannel New England Fox Sports New England Comcast SportsNet New England | ||
| NBC Sports Northwest | Washington, Oregon | Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Timbers, Portland Winterhawks, Vancouver Canucks , Portland Thunder, Tacoma Rainiers | University of Oregon Ducks sports | Based in Portland, Oregon. | Comcast SportsNet Northwest |
| NBC Sports Philadelphia | Philadelphia metropolitan area, eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey | Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia 76ers, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia Eagles | Philadelphia Big 5 basketball, Atlantic 10 Conference football and basketball, Colonial Athletic Association sports | Formed in 1997, effectively replacing SportsChannel Philadelphia and PRISM. It was the first Comcast SportsNet channel to launch and was a pioneer in team-owned sports networks. | Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia |
| SportsNet New York | New York metropolitan area, New York State, Connecticut, northern New Jersey | New York Mets, New York Jets | Big East Conference sports, Sun Belt Conference sports, University of Connecticut Huskies sports | Owned by the New York Mets, Charter Communications and Comcast. |
Alternate feeds
As with FSN, most NBC Sports Regional Networks affiliates have alternate/overflow feeds to avoid conflicts when two sports teams that the respective regional network has rights to broadcast are playing simultaneously, in order to allow both games to air simultaneously. These feeds are named after the host network with the suffixed "Plus" at the end of the name. The alternate/overflow feeds are only used during live game telecasts and are replaced with the main feed's programming at all other times. NBC Sports Chicago also maintains a second alternate feed called NBC Sports Chicago alternate or Plus 2. NBC Sports Chicago Plus now operates as a full-time channel, with repeats of programs previously broadcast on the main feed when a live event is not being telecast.The NBC Sports alternate channels are also used to show college football and basketball games distributed by Fox Sports Networks.
San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley
Since a large number of sports teams exist within the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest of Northern California, NBC Sports Regional Networks maintains two owned-and-operated outlets which split coverage of local sports: NBC Sports California and NBC Sports Bay Area. It is the only market served by NBC Sports Regional Networks where two 24-hour, full-time NBC Sports affiliates operate. Due to the territorial rules set by the National Basketball Association, Golden State Warriors games do not air in the Sacramento–Stockton–Modesto television market on NBCS Bay Area, while for the same reason, NBCS California cannot air Sacramento Kings telecasts in the San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose market.AT&T Sports Networks
In May 2009, DirecTV Group Inc. announced that it would become a part of Liberty Media's entertainment unit, with some of the group's assets subsequently being spun off as a separate company under the DirecTV banner; the Fox Sports Networks outlets that became part of the Liberty Sports unit were rebranded under the new name "Root Sports" on April 1, 2011.DirecTV Sports Networks would be acquired by AT&T Inc. in 2015, as a byproduct of its acquisition of DirecTV. The renamed RSN unit, AT&T Sports Networks, would eventually announce on June 12, 2017, that it would rebrand most of its regional sports networks – with the exception of Root Sports Northwest, due to its ownership being majority controlled by the Seattle Mariners – under the AT&T SportsNet banner on July 14, 2017. AT&T Sports Networks continues to broadcast various sports magazine and documentary programs and select sporting events broadcast by Fox Sports Networks through an affiliation agreement with its former parent group; with the exception of AT&T SportsNet Southwest, which does not carry these programs due to the presence of a Fox Sports-owned subfeed network in its home market, these channels largely continue to carry the same local teams and national Fox Sports Networks programs as they did under FSN ownership.
In September 2018, AT&TSN will be transferred to Turner Broadcasting System.
Current owned-and-operated networks
Alternate feeds and channels
Subfeeds and overflow feeds
Currently, only one AT&T SportsNet affiliate maintains subfeeds to eliminate scheduling conflicts when two teams that the individual network has rights to are playing at the same time, in order to air both games at once:| Channel | Subfeed |
| AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain | AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain Utah AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain West |
Spectrum Sports
is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks that are primarily owned and operated by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016.| Channel | Owner | Region served | Team/conference broadcast rights | Notes | Former names |
| Spectrum Sports | Charter Communications | Kansas City metropolitan area, Lincoln, Nebraska | Kansas Jayhawks sports, Big 12 Conference sports, Missouri Valley Conference sports, Summit League sports, NAIA sports | Metro Sports Time Warner Cable SportsChannel | |
| Spectrum Sports | Charter Communications | Ohio, parts of northern Kentucky, western Pennsylvania | Columbus Crew, Columbus Clippers, Toledo Mud Hens, Dayton Flyers basketball, Miami RedHawks hockey, Mid-American Conference college football and basketball, Ohio High School Athletic Association sports | TWTV Time Warner Cable Sports 24 Time Warner NE Ohio Network Central Ohio Sport! Television Time Warner Cable SportsChannel | |
| Spectrum Sports | Charter Communications | Wisconsin | Milwaukee Panthers sports | Time Warner Cable Sports Milwaukee Time Warner Cable Sports 32 Time Warner Cable Sports Channel | |
| Spectrum SportsNet | Los Angeles Lakers Charter Communications | Southern California, Central California, Las Vegas Valley, Hawaii | Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Sparks, LA Galaxy | Launched in October 2012, these RSNs were formed from a 20-year broadcast agreement by the Lakers and Time Warner Cable on February 14, 2011, in which all Lakers games not slated to be nationally televised by ABC or TNT would air locally on two new channels with separate English and Spanish-language broadcast teams. The two networks are also available on Cox Communications, DirecTV, AT&T U-verse, and Frontier FiOS. The Spanish-language version called Spectrum Deportes, formerly Time Warner Cable Deportes, was shut down in 2018. | Time Warner Cable SportsNet |
| Spectrum SportsNet LA | Guggenheim Baseball Management Charter Communications | Greater Los Angeles Area, Coachella Valley, Hawaii | Los Angeles Dodgers | Launched in February 2014, SportsNet LA was formed out of a 25-year broadcast agreement signed by the Dodgers and Time Warner Cable on January 28, 2013, in which all Dodgers games not nationally televised by Fox or ESPN would air locally on a dedicated network. | Time Warner Cable SportsNet LA |
Independent regional sports networks
The following is a list of regional sports channels which are not part of a larger national network:| Channel | Owner | Region served | Team/conference broadcast rights | Notes | Former names |
| Altitude Sports and Entertainment | Kroenke Sports & Entertainment | Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming | Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids, Calgary Flames , Edmonton Oilers , Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Colorado Eagles, North Dakota State Bison sports, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference sports | Network also broadcasts other Denver and Rocky Mountain area sports, and general interest programming. Altitude operates an alternate feed known as Altitude 2. | |
| Buckeye Cable Sports Network | Block Communications | Toledo, Ohio | Toledo Mud Hens, Toledo Walleye, Bowling Green Falcons sports, Toledo Rockets sports, Local high school and rec league sports | ||
| Comcast Television/Comcast Television 2 | Comcast | Michigan | Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and playoff games, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football, Mid-American Conference football, Michigan High School Athletic Association sports | Available exclusively on Comcast-operated systems in Michigan; Comcast Television also carries college and high school magazine shows, Your Tiger Ticket, as well as outdoor sports programs. | |
| Cox Sports Television | Cox Communications | Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Arkansas | New Orleans Baby Cakes, New Orleans Saints , Southern Conference sports, Louisiana High School Athletics Association championships | Was formerly the television home of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, from 2002 to 2012; the team signed a new broadcast agreement with Fox Sports in 2012, helping launching Fox Sports New Orleans. Based in New Orleans. | |
| Image Sports Network | Erie, Pennsylvania | Erie Explosion, Gannon Golden Knights sports, Mercyhurst Lakers sports, Edinboro Fighting Scots sports | |||
| Mid-Atlantic Sports Network | Baltimore Orioles Washington Nationals | Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, eastern and central North Carolina, West Virginia, south central Pennsylvania, Delaware | Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Georgetown Hoyas sports, George Mason Patriots sports, UNC Wilmington Seahawks sports, Big South Conference sports, Big East Conference football and men's basketball | The channel televises all Orioles and Nationals not broadcast on a national network. Televises more than 520 live major sporting events annually. MASN operates an alternate feed, MASN 2. MASN also simulcasts a 20-game package of Orioles games on Baltimore CBS O&O station WJZ-TV, as well as a 20-game package of Nationals games on Washington, D.C. CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. | |
| Midco Sports Network | Midcontinent Communications | South Dakota, North Dakota, western Minnesota | South Dakota Coyotes sports, South Dakota State Jackrabbits sports, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks sports | Midco Sports Network also broadcasts sports events from many other smaller colleges in the Dakotas and Minnesota; the network maintains two overflow feeds. | MC23 |
| MSG Network | The Madison Square Garden Company | New York metropolitan area, New York State | New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty, New York Red Bulls, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference basketball, Northeast Conference basketball, America East Conference basketball, Atlantic Coast Conference basketball | Launched in 1977, as the second regional sports network in the United States. MSG 2 serves as an alternate feed. | UA-Columbia/MSG Madison Square Garden Network |
| MSG Western New York | The Madison Square Garden Company / Pegula Sports and Entertainment | Western New York | Buffalo Sabres, Rochester Americans, Buffalo Bills , New York Knicks Monsignor Martin Athletic Association football | Launched in 2016. Replaced MSG in the Buffalo Sabres broadcast market. Jointly managed/programmed by MSG, PSE and Entercom. MSG WNY Sabres telecasts are shown in Canada on a standalone channel. | MSG Zone 3 of MSG Sabres |
| MSG Plus | The Madison Square Garden Company | New York metropolitan area, New York State | New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Lizards | MSG Plus 2 is the network's main overflow feed. | Cablevision Sports 3 SportsChannel New York Fox Sports New York |
| New England Sports Network | New England Sports Ventures Delaware North | New England | Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Pawtucket Red Sox, Beanpot tournament, Boston College Eagles basketball, Quinnipiac Bobcats sports, Hockey East college hockey, Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball, Conference USA sports, Patriot League sports | Operates an overflow feed known as NESN Plus. A national feed that blacks out Bruins & Red Sox broadcasts is also available on select cable systems. | |
| Spectrum OC16 | Charter Communications | Hawaii | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football | Maintains a channel devoted to Hawaiian athletics, exclusive broadcaster for the University of Hawaii. | OC16 |
| SWX Right Now | Cowles Publishing Company | Inland Northwest | Spokane Empire, Spokane Chiefs, Eastern Washington Eagles football and basketball, Gonzaga Bulldogs men's and women's basketball, Idaho Vandals football, Whitworth University football and basketball, Big Sky Conference football | Network also broadcasts high school sports events and local minor league baseball, hockey and horse racing events. | |
| TV2 Sports | Service Electric | Lehigh Valley | Lehigh Valley IronPigs sports, Reading Phillies sports | Also broadcasts local high school sports involving eastern Pennsylvania schools. | |
| YurView California | Cox Communications | Southern California | Mountain West Conference sports, West Coast Conference sports | Formerly carried San Diego Padres games from 1997 to 2011. | KCOX 4 Channel 4 San Diego |
College networks
Defunct networks
Canada
Sportsnet
Sportsnet is owned by the Rogers Media division of Toronto-based Rogers Communications. Sportsnet carries all of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball games. Although it is considered a national channel with multiple feeds for regulatory purposes, in practice its four main channels act as a set of RSNs, albeit with a significant portion of common national programming. The four channels are:| Channel | Description and programming | Broadcast Area |
| Sportsnet Pacific | Regional feed for British Columbia and Yukon; airs regional Vancouver Canucks games. | |
| Sportsnet West | Regional feed for the Prairies, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut; airs regional Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers games except in the Winnipeg Jets region. | |
| Sportsnet Ontario | Regional feed for most of Ontario; airs regional Toronto Maple Leafs games. | |
| Sportsnet East | Regional feed for eastern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. |
Through the separate Sportsnet One licence, Rogers also operates three part-time regional "companion channels", which provide coverage of additional regional NHL broadcasts which are not able to air on Sportsnet's main regional channels: Sportsnet Flames, Sportsnet Oilers, and Sportsnet Vancouver Hockey.
Rogers is also a shareholder in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns Leafs Nation Network, a channel devoted entirely to the Toronto Maple Leafs and its farm team, the Toronto Marlies. MLSE also operates NBA TV Canada, which is distributed nationally but focuses much of its programming on the MLSE-owned Toronto Raptors and farm team Raptors 905.
TSN/RDS
On August 25, 2014, The Sports Network, another Canadian sports channel, split its singular national feed into four regional feeds in a manner similar to Sportsnet. These feeds are primarily used to broadcast regional NHL games, but may also be used to provide alternative and common national programming.While each region has a primary TSN channel, due to overlaps in NHL territories it is possible in some parts of Ontario to access additional regional games from one non-primary channel. These situations are noted as they occur below.
| Channel | Launch date | Description and programming |
| TSN1 | September 1, 1984 August 15, 2003 | Originally established as the primary, national TSN service since its launch, on August 25, 2014, this feed was renamed TSN1 and became the primary TSN feed for viewers in British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon. |
| TSN2 | August 29, 2008 | Replaced a part-time "alternate feed" in operation since 1997. For the most part, it has served as an overflow channel for TSN's various sports rights, particularly when all four "regional" feeds are jointly carrying another major event.
|
| TSN3 | August 25, 2014 | The primary TSN feed for viewers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northwestern Ontario. |
| TSN4 | August 25, 2014 | The primary TSN feed for viewers in most of Ontario. |
| TSN5 | August 25, 2014 | The primary TSN feed for viewers in eastern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. |
Bell Media also owns Réseau des sports and RDS2, French-language sports networks that are licensed to serve all of Canada, but in practice focus on the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. Prior to the 2014–15 season, RDS could air Canadiens games on a national basis, as it was also the national French-language rightsholder of the National Hockey League in Canada. With Rogers' acquisition of the exclusive national media rights to the NHL, and its decision to sub-license French rights to Quebecor Media's TVA Sports, RDS and RDS2's coverage of the Canadiens and Senators are now restricted to parts of Eastern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
High definition
Nearly all regional sports networks broadcast all content in high definition as of 2016, with only the lowest-cost programming or high school sporting events produced locally for regional broadcast now only available in standard definition. Fox Sports Networks and Comcast SportsNet's owned-and-operated networks and affiliates maintain dedicated HD channels, which are used to broadcast both local and national HD programming, mainly game telecasts. All Fox Sports affiliates transmit HD programming in the 720p resolution format native to 21st Century Fox-owned networks; all CSN affiliates and independent channels transmit in 1080i.Regional syndicators
Some telecasts are broadcast by ad-hoc syndicated packages, which can be picked up on a network of broadcasters that may consist of either individual over-the-air stations, regional sports networks, or a mixture of both.ESPN was originally intended to focus on sports in Connecticut, but chose to broadcast nationally when it debuted in 1979 when it was discovered by the network's founders that it would be less expensive to broadcast nationwide on satellite as opposed to regionally through microwave transmission. ESPN formerly served as a college sports syndicator via ESPN Regional Television—formerly branded on-air as ESPN Plus, but later using conference-oriented brands such as SEC Network, and Big East Network.
Raycom Media also produces and syndicates college football and basketball games, primarily Atlantic Coast Conference games under the brand "ACC Network", through Raycom Sports. While these telecasts are mainly distributed within the home markets of Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the games are distributed to broadcast television stations and regional cable channels in markets outside of the conference's designated territory.
In 2014, television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group established its own sports syndicator known as the American Sports Network, primarily syndicating broadcasts of college football and basketball from mid-major conferences to stations that it owns and operates. In 2015, Sinclair also acquired regional rights to Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, with ASN handling production and distribution of team telecasts within its designated market. In 2017, ASN rebranded as Stadium as part of a programming partnership with Silver Chalice.