Monumental Sports & Entertainment — operated by Wizards, Capitals and Mystics owner Ted Leonsis — announced Tuesday that it has acquired television partner NBC Sports Washington.
MSE already owned 33% of NBC Sports Washington after acquiring the chunk in 2016, but Tuesday’s purchase accounts for a full takeover of the regional TV partner. The purchase amount for the other 67% of NBC Sports Washington from Comcast’s NBCUniversal was not released by MSE on Tuesday.
“We at Monumental Sports & Entertainment are incredibly excited to have reached an agreement to acquire NBC Sports Washington, an important business for our current and future core business operations,” said Zach Leonsis, MSE’s president of media and new enterprises, in a press release. “Comcast NBCUniversal has built a strong regional sports network in NBC Sports Washington. We look forward to further enhancing and innovating on the already best-in-class experience that our fanbase enjoys of watching live sports, for years to come.”
With MASN carrying Nationals and Orioles games, NBC Sports Washington focuses more on Leonsis’ teams as the exclusive local TV rightsholder for Wizards and Capitals games.
According to Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, the sale is a one-off, as Comcast is “not looking to unload its other RSNs.” Ourand also reported that the deal occurred because Leonsis was “an aggressive and willing buyer.”
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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