Rangers Sports Network Boss Explains Why Team Managing Own TV Business

The Texas Rangers are going it alone with the new Rangers Sports Network and the leader of the new endeavor explains why.

Nov 1, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Texas Rangers owner Ray Davis (right) and COO Neil Leibman (center) and general manager Chris Young celebrate with the World Series trophy after winning the 2023 World Series in five game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

All things considered Neil Leibman had a pretty good gig with the Texas Rangers.

Part of the ownership group, plus the president of business operations and chief operating officer for the franchise.

But now, Leibman is rolling up his sleeves to manage the franchise’s newest and, perhaps, riskiest venture — the Rangers Sports Network.

Leibman is giving up his former job to manage RSN, which will be a subsidiary of Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company, which also manages the Entertainment arm, which books non-Rangers events for Globe Life Field and Choctaw Stadium, formerly the Ballpark in Arlington.

RSN will be a significant undertaking, in part because the Rangers are going it alone.

Most MLB teams have some sort of partnership with another sports channel to broadcast and distribute their games. For years, the Rangers partnered with Fox Sports, and later Diamond Sports Group, and received more than $100 million per year in rights fees, per reports.

But after last season, DSG, which managed Bally’s, returned the Rangers’ broadcast rights as part of the entity’s bankruptcy reorganization. For the first time in decades, the Rangers has some level of control over their next move.

Texas could have returned to DSG/Bally (now branded as FanDuel). The Rangers also could have partnered with MLB, which manages the broadcast rights for a few teams that were spurned by DSG.

But the Rangers are opting for a harder path — a network that they will manage from tip to tail, from broadcast to advertising to distribution.

Why? Leibman explained its succinctly recently to Sports Business Journal. Neither option gave the Rangers much control.

“We know we can broadcast the games,” Leibman said. “Can we generate the revenue to offset what we would have made [elsewhere]? That’s up to our execution, and I think we’re in better hands managing our own risk.”

The Rangers have already announced partnerships with Spectrum, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and AT&T/U-Verse for linear and satellite broadcasts and built a network of in-market affiliates to broadcast up to 15 over-the-air games.

They also announced a streaming partnership with Victory+, which will allow fans who don’t have cable or satellite to subscribe for a rate of $100 for the season during a current pre-sale. After that, the rate goes up to $120 for the year or $20 per month.

Leibman didn’t disclose to SBJ how much revenue he believes RSN will generate its first year, but he said his belief was that it could exceed the $90 million rights fee it received from DSG last season.

To do that, Leibman and his staff will have their work cut out for them.

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