Media and Sports Management ◾ 237
Turner acquired the team to bolster the network rather than having a franchise
and then choosing the option of forming a network with the team as its core prod-
uct. What is clear, however, is that the owners of the Boston Red Sox and Boston
Bruins established the New England Sports Network (NESN) in 1984 beginning
in earnest the era of teams and then sports leagues creating their own television
networks and media distribution systems. ese networks would then negotiate
with cable television operators and satellite providers to deliver their network and
its content just as do ABC, NBC, Lifetime, CNN, or ESPN. e teams could use
the popularity of their games as a way to entice the highest possible fees for ...