Fans were disappointed when Hulu refused to accept Sinclair’s terms and conditions regarding the distribution of YES Network, as well as other regional sports networks.
In October 2020, Hulu stated that it would no longer have the rights to distribute certain regional sports networks (RSN) that were included in the Hulu + Live TV plans.
The network stated, “We were unable to reach an agreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group to continue offering channels like Fox Sports RSNs, YES Network and Marquee Network. However, the good news is that subscribers will continue to have access to a wide variety of sports from other popular channels.”
However, channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, and many more, are still available for viewers to enjoy.
Barry Faber, Sinclair’s President of Distribution and Network Relations, revealed in a statement that they had offered Hulu a deal consistent with terms agreed to by other distributors, but Hulu refused to accept what they believed to be fair and market-based terms.
He added, “It is unfortunate that Hulu has chosen to take away some of the most popular programming on television from millions of subscribers, particularly given that Hulu has promised its subscribers that it has live sports.”
Prior to Hulu’s decision, YouTube TV also stated that it would drop 19 Sinclair-owned RSNs, as Google and the broadcaster could not agree on terms of the renewal.
Fans were disappointed by Hulu’s decision to cancel YES Network, as it seems that a lot of fans only paid for Hulu due to them wanting to watch YES Network.
In February 2021, a thread was created on a Hulu community forum, where one fan stated, “I will also be canceling Hulu if they don’t bring back the YES network. When I cut the cord and had to choose a place to get my live TV, I specifically chose Hulu because they carried YES. And then, like some sort of sick baseball joke, they dropped YES. I thought it would get resolved quickly – but now I’ve got to cancel Hulu and get ATT TV in order to get YES. Ridiculous. Bring back my Yankees!!”
There has been speculation that Hulu has accepted the terms and conditions to distribute YES Network once again, but the streamer has yet to address the rumours.
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