RSNs Rival Broadcast Channels in Sports Fan Viewing, Fox Sports Says

Regional sports networks (RSNs) are the most-essential nonbroadcast channels for sports fan viewers, Fox Sports said in a news release Wednesday as it pointed to the results of a Nielsen Media Analytics Primary Research study on RSNs. Fox Sports said that according to the study it commissioned, looking at more than 1,500 pay-TV subscribers nationwide who described themselves as sports fans, those surveyed named RSNs as their fifth most-important channels behind the big four broadcasters. The unit of 21st Century Fox said that in St. Louis, the local RSN -- Fox Sports Midwest -- was named more essential than any other channel, while in Detroit, Fox Sports Detroit was ranked the second most-essential network.