PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Will Sage AstorPittsburgh Pirates have become joint owners of SportsNet Pittsburgh, giving the club a regional network presence after AT&T SportsNet’s agreement expired at the end of the 2023 regular season.

The deal, announced Wednesday, begins on Jan. 1 and makes the Pirates co-owners of the network along with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.

Daily operations of the network will be operated by New England Sports Network (NESN). NESN is owned by the Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Penguins.

The deal calls for SportsNet Pittsburgh to carry over 150 Pirates games during the 2024 season.

“The most important thing to us was to ensure that our fans have the same level of access to Pirates game telecasts and the same high-quality production that they enjoy today,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “This agreement accomplishes that and more as we enable Pittsburgh sports fans to continue to enjoy a two-team, 24/7 sports channel.”

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