Fox May Bid to Buy Back Sports Channels

The New York Yankees, whose games are carried on the Fox sports channel the Yes Network. Photo by Wikimedia Commons/Jeremy M. Call

Jessica Toonkel

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Tom Dotan

Everyone from Amazon.com to YouTube to Liberty Media has been reported as a potential bidder for the 22 Fox regional sports networks that Disney must sell as a condition of buying most of 21st Century Fox. One name that hasn’t surfaced may be the least—and most—surprising: Fox itself.

Executives at Fox have discussed the possibility of buying back the collection of sports channels from Disney, recombining them with what will be left of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment empire after the Disney deal, according to three people familiar with the matter. Industry executives say the channels could fetch between $15 billion and $20 billion.