• by Wayne Friedman , November 20, 2018

Amazon could be continuing its push into big TV-based sports, looking to bid on Fox’s 22 regional sports networks (RSNs) that Walt Disney needs to sell off, according to a report.

CNBC says Amazon may make a bid on those networks, valued to be worth around $22.4 billion, by one estimate. Amazon currently streams NFL “Thursday Night Football” games.

The bid would include the New York-based YES Network, which is partly owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, the biggest of all the RSNs. 

Others possible bidders for those regional sports networks include the private-equity companies Apollo Global Management, KKR and Blackstone Group, as well as TV station companies Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tegna.

As part of the $71.3 billion deal to buy about half of Fox movie and TV businesses, Walt Disney, per an agreement with federal regulators, agreed to sell Fox’s regional sports networks.

Those regional sports networks air the games of 44 professional teams from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

In April, Amazon reupped its NFL “TNF” deal that started in 2017 -- a two-year pact covering 2018 and 2019. Amazon is reportedly paying the league $65 million per year.