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[ad_1] Christian Petersen | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Tensions are building among broadcast station owners and pay TV providers as the local rights to air NBA, NHL and MLB games go up for grabs. Broadcast station owners including E.W. Scripps Co., Gray Television, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair have been in discussions with leagues and teams about potential deals to carry games on free over-the-air channels, according to people familiar with the matter, as long-held media rights for teams on regional sports networks unravel. Regional sports networks have owned almost all local sports rights for decades, but their viability is in doubt after tens of millions of Americans have been canceling cable TV in recent years. A shift to a model revolving around broadcast stations and direct-to-consumer streaming would upend the business that saw teams and leagues reap hefty fees. It would also boost broadcast station owners leverage in carriage negotiations — and potentially ac...

[ad_1] SportsCenter at ESPN Headquarters. The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images The blackout fight between cable giant Charter Communications and Disney appears to be coming to a close. Hours ahead of "Monday Night Football," which airs on Disney's ESPN, the companies are expected to reach a deal that would allow millions of Charter cable customers to watch the game, CNBC's David Faber reported Monday, citing sources. Charter and Disney's stocks, as well as media peers including Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global traded higher on Monday morning. Representatives for Disney and Charter didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Terms of what the deal would entail were unclear Monday morning. The dispute has been ongoing since late August when carriage renewal negotiations broke down between the two companies and left millions of customers without Disney TV channels, including ESPN, FX and Disney Channel. At the time...