When it comes to live sports, billions of dollars in rights fees, advertising commitments, carriage agreements and affiliate revenues depend on reliable national distribution. For decades, that distribution has relied on C-band satellite spectrum, the infrastructure that moves live games from venues to networks and out to distributors across the country. For network executives, that transport layer carries just about the entire live sports business, and it’s now under pressure.

The FCC is advancing its auction of additional Upper C-band spectrum, with a ruling widely expected around July. The U.S. government plans to repurpose satellite spectrum used by broadcasters and sell it to wireless carriers for 5G expansion. A similar move in 2021 eliminated roughly 60% of the C-band capacity traditionally used for television distribution, and this next phase could strip away much of what remains. For sports media executives, the issue is supply and certainty. Satellite capacity has offered a stable and predictable way to distribute high-value channels nationally for decades. Planning now protects both.

How sports networks can respond

The most proactive networks are already moving toward hybrid satellite and IP models as an alternative — transporting video over the internet via broadcast-grade transmission technologies — rather than waiting for auction timelines to force the transition. After the 2021 C-band auction, the FCC oversaw a reimbursement program funded by the wireless industry to help satellite customers cover relocation........

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