What the SNY Layoffs Could Mean For NYC Metro Schools

SNY’s mass layoffs and show cancellations were arguably the most significant news in sports broadcasting last week. The regional sports network (RSN) and home of the New York Mets announced several layoffs and cancelled Baseball Night in New York and Sportsnite.

The move leaves significant gaps in SNY’s programming and ultimately, uncertainty about the network’s future. It may also impact the network’s collegiate partners.

SNY has one of the most robust college programming lineups among the remaining RSNs. The list below documents the network’s current partnerships:

• Fordham
• Monmouth
• Columbia
• Stony Brook
• Metro Conference

These partnerships have two logical outcomes. SNY’s cuts could indicate dire circumstances for the network and make severing these partnerships logical. While SNY does not pay production costs, it does pay undisclosed rights fees to these schools and the Metro Conference.

Cutting these rights fees to focus solely on New York Mets games and pre- and postgame shows would be a wise cost-cutting measure.

The bolder outcome could bolster the schools’ footprints in the New York City metro. The fees that SNY pays for broadcast rights for the aforementioned schools is likely nominal.

Although the worth of SNY’s deals are undisclosed, other similar deals give an idea of the market for mid-major Division I RSN/local TV rights. For instance, a FOIA request found WMYV, Greensboro, NC’s MyTV affiliate paid North Carolina A&T $1,470 per football home game and $1,270 per game for five men’s and women’s basketball games apiece.

SNY could use its current college sports partnerships to fill the airspace left by canceled shows. Game reruns would benefit both SNY and its partnered schools.

SNY gets programming it does not have to produce and can sell advertisements for, while the schools receive increased exposure in the New York City metro. The Metro Conference and the other individual schools could create a de facto conference/school-specific network through SNY by increasing their programming.

The increased presence in the New York City area alongside Mets content would be particularly beneficial for Stony Brook and Monmouth. Both schools partner with Flosports, which is a difficult sell for most fans who are likely already ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

SNY’s mass layoffs and show cancelations are yet another chapter in the decline of regional sports networks. However, the cost-cutting move could create a significant opportunity for multiple NYC metro schools to increase their profile in the region.