How a Local Spring Training TV Deal Could Benefit Brown and Dartmouth

Minor broadcasting news in the MLB Spring Training circuit could hint at increased exposure for one of the Ivy League’s most consistent programs. The New England Sports Network (NESN) released its Spring Training broadcast schedule for the Boston Red Sox yesterday.

At first glance, nothing seems too enthralling, but for the second straight year, the Red Sox and NESN will simulcast four Spring Training games to local over-the-air stations. Boston’s WHDH, Hartford’s WWAX, Burlington, Vermont’s WYCI, and Portland, Maine’s WPXT and MeTV, will all air four Red Sox Spring Training games.

The move brings live programming to stations generally dependent on syndication. WHDH and WWAX are independent, WYCI is a MyNetworkTV affiliate, and WPXT is an affiliate of The CW. While the move is simply NESN offloading low-demand content to advertise one of its franchises, it could pave the way for a similar agreement with one of its collegiate partners.

Dartmouth has aired two football games and multiple other sporting events on NESN platforms each year since 2021. One Dartmouth game usually airs on NESN, and NESN+ streams the other. ESPN+ also streams Dartmouth games that NESN airs. NESN expanded its Ivy League portfolio last year to include an additional Brown football game. Previously, NESN broadcast a Harvard game in 2024, but did not air a Crimson game this season.

It makes sense for NESN to produce these Brown and Dartmouth games and then sell them to this network of Spring Training stations, which are desperate for live programming. NESN likely pays little from Dartmouth and Brown sports compared to Red Sox and Bruins telecasts, making the rights easy to sublicense or simulcast to these stations. Brown and Dartmouth stand to benefit immensely if NESN’s Spring Training simulcast practices carry over to Big Green games.

While the NESN deal already extends the Big Green and Bears’ reach to casual pro sports fans in the region, a deal with the stations listed above would carry their brand much further. Over-the-air or antenna television is once again gaining prominence as the regional sports network model crumbles. It is currently the medium with the fewest barriers to entry for the consumer.

Brown and Dartmouth can gain a massive recruiting advantage over the other New England Ivy League schools by having one to two games per year on over-the-air stations. The total reach of the Boston, Burlington, Hartford, and Portland markets is around 4.4 million people. Dartmouth and Brown will likely draw more viewership than much of the Ivy League’s ESPN+ games if only five percent of these homes tune in.

Agreements like a potential over-the-air partnership will become more logical as a growing number of Americans struggle with streaming service price increases. Sometimes you have to go backward to move forward. A partnership with these Red Sox Spring Training stations would put Brown and Dartmouth ahead of the game.

It may not seem like much, but the presence of four Red Sox Spring Training games on New England over-the-air stations is a promising development for Dartmouth and Brown.