Yankees president Randy Levine joined Carton and Roberts on Wednesday to announce the news of the Yanks and WFAN extending their partnership, cementing the FAN as the flagship station for the 27-time World Series champs for years to come.
It’s a pretty extensive extension,” Levine said, adding that it’s fair to say the deal will take the two sides through the decade.
“We are so pleased we are entering into a multi-year extension to be the flagship radio voice of the New York Yankees…the agreement is gonna be one that is very forward thinking. We are gonna try and be creative in terms of things we can do together to increase the pleasure of all of your listeners and viewers.”
One of the changes to taking in ballgames in the modern era has been the implementation of streaming services, with the Yankees in the middle of it, broadcasting Friday night games on Amazon, and already having some of their games shown on Apple TV+ and Peacock.
“Amazon is a partner of the YES Network and has been since we bought the remaining stock back from Disney,” Levine explained about the team’s deal with Amazon. “When we did that deal, the world is changing. There’s linear cable TV, and also streaming, and you have to get ahead of it and have both. Amazon is an equity partner in YES and they’re a phenomenal company. The viewership, people need time to get used to things, and we – meaning YES and the Yankees – have to do a better job in explaining to our fanbase how to get those games. There may be a lot of people who have Amazon Prime and don’t know how to get to those fames, and we have to do a better job educating.
“I don’t believe that its ever going to be all streaming,” Levine continued. “I look at this every day, and I think there will be a balance. These streaming companies become expensive – you have to have a few of them so sometimes it’s cheaper to just do the cable bundle. There will always be a balance, and you have to provide coverage for your whole fanbase…there’s a direct to consumer package coming from YES very soon. Right now I know a lot of fans are upset because it’s hard to find games, and I think that’s on us, from baseball on down, to try to make it easy, simply, and clear to find the games.”
There are already multiple options to take in games, as Tuesday night’s matchup between the Yanks and Mets was broadcast on SNY, YES, WCBS 880, and of course, WFAN. The Bombers lost the game, which the front office wants to win as badly as the fans do.
“Look, we’re all competitors,” Levine said. “When we play the Red Sox there’s an extra special feeling – clearly you want to win. But even with George, the Yankees and Mets off the field have a lot in common. Steve Cohen has done a great job and Billy Eppler worked for us, so there’s long-standing relationships – but like our fans, we’re all fans at heart, and we want to win every game, so it’s extra special when we beat them. At the end of the say, we’re friends, we admire them and what they do, and work together on a lot of projects.”
While the landscape of taking in baseball games and other sporting events undergo more change, the WFAN/Yankees partnership will remain.
“We are going to try to build on this relationship with Audacy and WFAN and make this relationship, which is really sound, a lot better,” Levine said. “We are gonna be partners for years to come, so we’re delighted.”
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