Worcester Business Journal

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Bold Sponsors Amy Lang Bank of America Bay State Savings Bank Bowitch & Dewey JPMorgan Chase Medspa810 Sudbury Mirick Oasis Wealth Advisors Samsonite Southbridge Credit Union treeful, Damaso, Ancieto Woosox Foundation Enterprise Bank Millbury Federal Credit Union North Brookfield Savings Bank Peppers Artful Events selections Boutique Vibrant Sponsors earned, because I had four years at St John's aer that, but it was great." His parent's work schedules necessitat- ed hitchhiking down Interstate 290 to get to school and back, something unthink- able for most parents today. McGrail said his upbringing in Worces- ter brought him some valuable business lessons and lifelong connections. "I spent a lot of time with my grand- father, who ran a bunch of businesses in Worcester," he said. "From him I learned empathy and relatability to people and the ability to speak to people, all of which are invaluable skills in business. Founda- tionally, growing up here in Worcester, it's a very tight, small community, even though it's a big town. My two oldest friends I went to kindergarten with, and I see them all the time." McGrail is still connected to the Cen- tral Massachusetts community. He re- sides in Hopkinton, while his 88-year-old mother lives in Worcester. His youngest sister Erin is employed in the special ed- ucation department at Worcester Public Schools. Beyond the B's and Sox Following his upbringing in Worcester, McGrail attended Northeastern Univer- sity in Boston, working full-time at night to pay his way through college. Aer a stint at Continental Cablevision, an early pioneer in cable television which would eventually become part of Comcast, he received a call from the fledgling NESN. McGrail hasn't looked back since first joining the network's marketing depart- ment in the mid-1980s, managing to keep both the Red Sox and Bruins happy, as they own 80% and 20% of the network respectively. He convinced leadership to send him to business school, receiving an MBA from Boston University, before being named president and CEO of NESN in 2000. McGrail's tenure has seen a great amount of change in the regional sports broadcasting scene, as technological advances and changing consumer habits have required constant adaptation. His leadership has been pivotal to the network's quick adaptation to new technology like high-definition cameras and online streaming, said Werner, a highly-experienced television producer responsible for everything from "e Cosby Show" to "Roseanne" to "at '70s Show." "My background in media made me realize the potential of a strong regional sports network," Werner said. "Some networks succeed, and some fail. It's not a given that if you have a regional sports network that is connected to a sports team, that you'll be successful. But he was able to create must-see content." e on-the-field and on-the-ice suc- cess of the network's teams was certainly a boost, but a 24/7 network needs more than just that day's game to keep viewers tuning in. NESN productions over the years have included everything from the long running "Charlie Moore Outdoors" fishing-focused show, to the base- ball-themed dating show "Sox Appeal," to "Dining Playbook," a look into the region's culinary scene. "It comes out of the creativity of the team," McGrail said. "Also, one of our primary owners, Tom Werner, has had a pretty good run on television, right?" Distribution deals McGrail's skillset has been valuable for another reality of running a regional sports network: constant battles with cable providers over distribution deals. "When we go into negotiations with some of our distributors, I think that they have enormous respect and admi- ration for Sean," Werner said. "Some- times these negotiations can be hard fought, but I think that, because of Sean's wisdom, I think that we end up making extremely good arrangements with our distributors who enjoy the partnership." McGrail's ability to negotiate these conversations and keep both the Bruins and Red Sox content with results has been important, said Jacobs. "e way I look at it, we're winter programming, and the Sox are summer programming," said Jacobs. "So for [McGrail], as an operator, he can go to different distributors and say 'I've got year round programming. I'm probably going to carry the market just about ev- ery night that I've got live programming.' I feel like Sean took it very seriously and put our own collective best foot forward." NESN's presence in more than 4 million homes across New England has come as other sports-focused networks have faltered. Diamond Sports Group, a large Virginia-based operator of regional sports networks, which previously owned the broadcast rights for 15 pro- fessional sports teams across the country, filed for bankruptcy in 2023 aer wrack- ing up more than $150 million in debt. e firm, which operates its networks under the name Bally Sports, is looking to emerge as a restructured company. Meanwhile, NESN has grown its offerings, building off the 2022 launch of NESN 360, the first direct-to-con- sumer streaming service offered by a regional sports network. In November, it announced the launch of NESN Nation, a free, ad-supported streaming TV channel set to be nationally distributed on free-to-stream services. e network is expanding its content, broadcasting games featuring teams not involved in NESN ownership, including the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hock- ey League and select games of Rhode Island FC, a men's soccer team playing in the second-tier USL Championship. The stars of tomorrow A more recent move has seen the network take a particular interest in Continued on page 12

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