NESN Expands Original Programming Availability With Launch Of First National ‘FAST’ Channel

BOSTON — NESN, New England’s premier sports network, announced Thursday the launch of NESN NATION, its first free, ad-supported national streaming television (FAST) channel. NESN Nation will deliver additional original programming that provides fans nationwide even more access to the sports, teams and players they love.

NESN NATION will feature more than 30 hours of weekly live and original programming — featuring NESN’s coverage of flagship teams like the Red Sox, Bruins and Liverpool FC to women’s sports, New England Division III teams, and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Content will include live games, live gameday content, live press conferences, interviews, game and sports betting analysis, features, documentaries and video podcasts, as well as content from NESN’s award-winning library.

“Given sports fans unwavering demand for their favorite teams, we’re excited to expand our portfolio with our first FAST national channel that provides easy access to both our globally recognized brands as well as our award-winning content,” NESN President and CEO, David Wisnia said. “NESN NATION will deliver a range of new, live and original programming and further our mission to provide a multitude of ways for fans to engage with our must-see content.”

NESN NATION is available on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Twitch and Plex, and is arriving soon on Samsung TV Plus in the coming weeks. NESN partnered with AMC Networks, a leader in the FAST space, to build out the distribution and syndication of NESN NATION and the companies will continue to work together on the optimization of content strategy and will be announcing further distribution partnerships in the future.

Some of the original and third-party programming that will begin in the coming weeks includes:

• Four (4) live Red Sox Spring Training Games on Feb. 23, March 2, March 9, and March 23 – available on NESN NATION on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and other select participating platforms. The March 9 and March 23 games will be available on Samsung TV Plus.
• Live streams of Boston Bruins Morning Skates and Pregame Skates, including upcoming Morning Skate dates on March 11, and March 17 and Pregame Skates on Feb. 25, March 4, and March 15.
• “Unobstructed Views,” the alternate, commentary-driven game coverage show (featuring Tuuka Rask, Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Raycroft).
• Live baseball analysis with “310 to Left” podcast shows through February 20.
• Six Athletes Unlimited women’s basketball games.
• Postgame press conferences from professional teams.
• Liverpool FC coverage, including a weekly three-hour block featuring match highlights, recaps, and analysis plus team-produced behind the scenes content.
• “Hockey Chowdah:” unique half-hour mashup shows featuring Bruins (Charlie Coyle, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm), with other professional athlete features to come.
• Eight different video-enabled podcasts including “Boston Has Entered the Chat” and “Morning Bru.”
• Original titles such as “Marchand at 1,000” and “A Century of Boston Bruins Hockey.”
• Live game telecasts from select colleges.
• Select programming from The BetMGM Network including “Bet Sweats” (Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.).
• “This Week in Hockey East,” a league-produced program previewing the most important games of the weekend.  

The launch of NESN NATION furthers the network’s mission to provide fans with an unmatched experience through content, access and innovative features. NESN was the first Regional Sports Network (RSN) to broadcast in HD and UHD, first to live stream MLB and NHL games in 4K/HDR, and first to launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service with NESN 360.