Amazon bids for Disney's 22 regional sports networks, including YES Network, sources say
Amazon AMZN is bidding for all of the 22 regional sports TV networks that Disney DIS acquired from 21st Century Fox FOXA .
The e-commerce giant's bid includes the New York-based YES Network, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. An unknown sovereign wealth fund, along with the Yankees, are also bidding for the New York network.
In addition to Amazon, Apollo Global Managemen APO t, KKR & Co KKR , The Blackstone Group BX , Sinclair Broadcast Group SBGI and TEGNA TGNA also made first round bids for the full slate of networks, the sources said.
Fox, which owns the Yes Network with the New York Yankees, was seen as a front-runner to bid for the nearly two dozen regional networks. They broadcast the games of 44 professional teams from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.
Fox itself did not submit a bid in the first round for the networks although there's potential that it will join in the second round, the sources said.
The second round of bids are expected before year-end and due diligence on the bids begins next week. CNBC was unable to learn the amounts of the bids.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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