YES Network

About

YES Network history, coverage, features

The YES Network, officially known as the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network, is an American regional sports network that primarily broadcasts in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. However, the network has enjoyed nationwide carriage via select satellite TV providers, namely DirecTV, while being available on cable and IPTV regional TV providers.

The network was launched in March 2002 by Yankee Global Enterprises, LLC—originally named YankeeNets due to the merger between the New York Yankees and the New Jersey Nets. The YES Network quickly became known for securing regional broadcast rights to two major American sports franchises: Major League Baseball's New York Yankees and the National Basketball Association's Brooklyn Nets.

The YES Network secured regional broadcast rights to two American sports franchises early on in its life, with pre- and post-game shows also included. In fact, the New York Yankees were featured in the first game broadcast on the network, which was an exhibition match against the Cincinnati Reds.

Since its inception, the YES Network has also featured select games involving the Yankees' minor league farm teams and collegiate sports events from the Northeast Conference. The network also has a history of airing soccer matches involving some of the biggest clubs worldwide, including Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City, typically broadcasting these Premier League giants on a tape-delay basis.

Additionally, in the summer of 2022, YES began airing fixtures from Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League featuring AC Milan. In December 2014, YES acquired local broadcast rights for Major League Soccer's New York City FC, though this arrangement ended in 2023 when the league scrapped regional broadcasts as part of its new rights deal with Apple Inc.

The YES Network primarily airs in English and offers HD quality broadcasts. It also provides a Spanish-language feed through a secondary audio program.

Additionally, the network has a game-time-only overflow feed called “YES2” and a 1080i HD simulcast feed named “YES Network HD.” Viewers could also access the YES Network through its direct-to-consumer streaming services, the YES app. However, this was eventually discontinued in favor of the Gotham Sports App streaming service, a joint venture with the MSG Network.

Ownership

Parent company ownership and structure

YES Network is owned and operated by Fox Sports Media Group.

Fox Sports Media Group, commonly referred to simply as Fox Sports, is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States. It was first launched in 1994 and has since grown to operate a vast array of national and regional sports television channels, as well as subscription-based OTT services. The pay-TV broadcaster’s flagship channels include English-language cable networks such as Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Soccer Plus and Big Ten Network. Its regional stations provide in-depth coverage for some of the biggest sports franchises in the U.S. As a holder of major multi-platform sports broadcast rights, however, Fox Sports has benefited a lot from the existence of its Spanish-language channel Fox Deportes, which it has used to rival other networks such as Univision’s TUDN, NBC’s Telemundo and ESPN Deportes—all of which are targeted at Hispanics. Soccer rights that Fox Sports has acquired over the years cover major international tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, and even club competitions like the UEFA Champions League, Mexican Liga MX, and U.S. Major League Soccer. Some global media rights Fox Sports has inherited in the past were in fact negotiated through Fox International Channels, which oversees different Fox Sports networks operating in different continents. Some of the exclusive streams in USA may be available via online streaming service Fox Soccer Match Pass, whereas FoxSports.com and the official Fox Sports app serve to add to the viewers’ experience by providing more ways of watching the games telecast by the linear TV networks. Action from Fox Sports Regional Networks has a different digital home, nevertheless, and subscribers may enjoy their favorite regional teams’ games live and on demand on the Fox Sports GO platform. OTT services operated by Fox Sports in USA are usually available on the web for PC and Mac, on tablets and smartphones running Android and iOS, in addition to a wide range of smart TVs.