NESN

Name

NESN

Legal name

New England Sports Network

Website

https://nesn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Sports Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Cable Networks (MPABAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

National & Regional Sports TV Networks (Linear) (MPABAJAA)

Keywords

• Regional sports network
• Live sports broadcasting
• Cable television programming
• Sports streaming service
• Broadcast media content

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Content, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. TV Affiliate Fees: Fees paid by cable and satellite providers for carriage of NESN channel
2. NESN 360 Streaming Subscriptions: Direct-to-consumer streaming subscriptions for Boston Red Sox and Bruins games. Annual plan at $239.99/year or $29.99/month
3. Advertising Revenue: Traditional advertising during game broadcasts and programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NESN is a regional sports cable and satellite television network that broadcasts live game coverage, pre- and post-game shows, and original sports programming primarily for the Boston Red Sox (MLB) and Boston Bruins (NHL) across the six-state New England market. The network reaches fans through traditional pay-TV distribution and direct-to-consumer streaming via NESN 360 (free, ad-supported) and NESN 360+ (premium subscription), with an out-of-market streaming tier branded NESN National serving displaced New England sports fans.

Product overview

NESN (New England Sports Network) is a regional sports network owned by Fenway Sports Group and Delaware North, serving as the primary broadcaster for Boston's professional sports teams. The core product is the NESN 360 streaming service, which provides live Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games along with 24/7 programming access, 4K HDR home game broadcasts, game recaps, replays, and exclusive original shows like 'The Mindset,' 'Bruins My Story,' and 'Behind the B.' NESN also distributes nationally as NESN National and manages SportsNet Pittsburgh. The network covers Boston Red Sox (MLB), Boston Bruins (NHL), New England Patriots (NFL), Boston Celtics (NBA), PWHL's Boston Fleet, Hockey East, Liverpool FC, Connecticut Sun (WNBA), and additional sports including motorsport, UFC, boxing, golf, and WWE. NESN in 4K provides HDR-quality broadcasts of home games through DIRECTV, fuboTV, Verizon Fios, and NESN 360.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NESN National: National distribution version of NESN available outside the New England region.

Products and services

• NESN (Regional Sports Cable Network)
• NESN 360
• NESN 360+
• NESN National

Quantifiable outcome

• NESN local ratings for Red Sox first three games of 2026 season rose 39% year-over-year, marking team's best opening since 2018

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TBL Team Boxing LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026TBL Team Boxing League announced a new broadcast partnership with NESN and NESN Nation, under which select fights air on NESN-branded networks throughout the remainder of the 2026 season. The partnership was negotiated by Vinny DiMarco of TBL and represents a milestone in the league's continued expansion and media presence. The deal aims to introduce TBL's team-based boxing format to sports fans across the six-state New England region and beyond.
• Sportsnet PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Sportsnet Pittsburgh, owned by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates, is managed by NESN. The network provides comprehensive coverage including up to six first-round Penguins playoff games with live game broadcasts alongside pregame, intermission, and postgame studio coverage.
• Greenville DriveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 April 2026The Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox Single-A affiliate) announced television broadcast agreements with NESN and Palmetto Sports & Entertainment for the 2026 season. NESN will broadcast 15 games to regional and national audiences, while Palmetto Sports will televise 57 games locally in Upstate South Carolina.
• PWHLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 November 2025The PWHL is starting its third season with RSN partnerships following the lack of a national U.S. media deal. NESN broadcasts PWHL games including Boston Fleet matchups.
• HarmoniccoreTechnology or Integration · 17 October 2025NESN partnered with Harmonic to upgrade its primary live sports distribution platform, utilizing Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor and DMS X Distribution Management System. The new system supports high-quality video delivery to 4 million homes with enhanced monetization features, including advanced ad insertion at the edge. The deployment was executed with Astound Business Solutions.
• Boston GlobecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2025The Boston Globe and NESN premiered 'Boston Globe Sports Report' on October 27, a new sports-focused co-production providing in-depth analysis and interviews related to Boston sports teams, involving Globe journalists and NESN talent.
• Astound Business SolutionscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 15 October 2025Astound Business Solutions handled the deployment of Harmonic's distribution solution for NESN. The partnership enables NESN to deliver video to 4 million homes while offering AI-powered encoding for up to 50% bitrate savings and edge ad insertion capabilities for new revenue opportunities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• YES Network: Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network is a New York-based regional sports network, the most direct structural comp to NESN: RSN delivering the regional rights for one marquee MLB team (Yankees) plus NBA's Brooklyn Nets, with similar cable carriage + DTC streaming economics and a top-tier market. YES was sold at a significant valuation in 2023 and serves as the closest single-team-RSN analog.
• MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network): MASN is a regional sports network that carries Baltimore Orioles (MLB) and Washington Nationals (MLB) games across the mid-Atlantic region. It shares NESN's profile as a single-country multi-team RSN with a defined geographic territory, similar rights-acquisition model, and competing DTC evolution challenges.
• FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports): Operated by Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group), FanDuel Sports Network is the largest RSN operator in the US, holding rights to 14+ MLB teams plus NBA and NHL teams across regional markets. Despite emerging from bankruptcy with restructured debt, it remains the dominant multi-market RSN operator and the most direct scale peer to NESN's business model.
• Monumental Sports Network: Washington D.C.-based regional sports network (formerly NBC Sports Washington) that holds rights to the Washington Capitals (NHL), Wizards (NBA), and other regional teams. Independently operated and distributed via cable and DTC, it is structurally equivalent to NESN as a single-market RSN with multi-team content and similar advertiser mix.
• SportsNet Pittsburgh: SportsNet Pittsburgh is managed by NESN itself, holding regional rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) and Pirates (MLB). It is the most direct operational peer because NESN already operates the network, sharing infrastructure, ad sales, and technology platforms — providing a clean apples-to-apples benchmark for incremental market economics.
• ROOT Sports: ROOT Sports operates regional sports networks in the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, and other markets, carrying MLB (Mariners), NBA (Trail Blazers), and NHL (Kraken) regional rights. It is a comparable mid-size RSN operator to NESN in terms of multi-team rights structure, geographic market profile, and DTC/linear hybrid distribution.
• NBC Sports Regional Networks: Comcast's portfolio of regional sports networks (NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bay Area, California, Chicago, Boston) provides regional coverage for MLB, NBA, and NHL teams in major markets. While owned by a national media conglomerate, these networks operate with the same RSN economics, content rights structure, and cable/DTC distribution as NESN.
• SportsNet New York (SNY): SNY is the New York RSN that holds regional rights to the New York Mets (MLB) and produces coverage of other regional sports. Like NESN, it is anchored by one MLB team plus additional local content, distributes via cable and DTC, and operates in a big-market media environment with similar advertiser mix and affiliate-fee dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• Fox Sports: Fox Sports operates national sports rights (MLB, NFL, college football, soccer) and previously owned RSNs that have since been divested. It is the most directly comparable national sports media brand competing for the same advertising budgets and rights inventory, and its strategic moves (e.g., Tubi sports expansion) shape the structural environment NESN operates in.
• ESPN+: ESPN+ is Disney's national sports streaming service, carrying out-of-market MLB, NHL, and other league content plus originals. While national rather than regional, it is the most direct substitute for NESN 360 for fans willing to forgo local broadcasting, and the emergence of ESPN's flagship DTC offering directly threatens RSN subscriber economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nesn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/nesn
• Facebookfacebook.com/NESN
• Instagraminstagram.com/nesn
• TikToktiktok.com/@nesn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/41131

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NESN