NBC Sports has a new boss. What could that mean for NBC Sports Philadelphia?

There is a new boss at the top of NBC Sports.

Rick Cordella, who currently serves as NBC’s president of programming, will be promoted to replace Pete Bevacqua as the chairman of NBC Sports, Comcast’s NBCUniversal announced Friday afternoon. Bevacqua left the company in July to join the University of Notre Dame, where he’ll become the school’s new athletics director in 2024.

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The move puts Cordella in charge of all aspects of NBC Sports, including Sunday Night Football and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. But more relevant to Philadelphia sports fans, Cordella will also work with NBC Local on the company’s strategy for NBC Sports Philadelphia and its other regional sports networks.

“Rick will oversee the evolution of our business as we continue to offer the best experiences and content to our viewers, as well as be the best partner to leagues and rights holders,” Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Universal, said in a statement.

Thanks to the decline of the cable bundle and the continued increase of cord-cutting, regional sports networks have struggled this year. After its merger, Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to get out of the regional sports business entirely by the end of the year, leaving 10 teams — including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and Utah Jazz — looking for new broadcast partners. Diamond Sports Group, which owns 19 regional Bally Sports networks and holds the TV rights for 42 teams, sought bankruptcy protection earlier this year as it attempts to cope with more than $8 billion in debt.

By comparison, NBC’s five regional sports networks — NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California, and NBC Sports Chicago — have fared much better, remaining profitable for NBCUniversal. The company sold NBC Sports Washington to Monumental Sports & Entertainment last year.

No immediate changes are expected at NBC Sports Philadelphia due to the move. Cordella will be tasked with figuring out when and how NBC allows fans to stream NBC Sports Philadelphia without a cable subscription. Lazarus has previously said the company planned to put all its regional sports networks on Peacock, NBC’s subscription service, sometime in 2023. But the company has yet to offer any details or timelines.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2021 that NBCUniversal scrapped plans to offer NBC Sports Philadelphia on Peacock over fears of complicating its broader streaming strategy.

It’s a delicate dance for NBC, which has local TV rights deals with at least 12 professional teams.

In Philadelphia’s case, it requires reworking TV deals with the leagues involving the Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies, who purchased a 25% stake in NBC Sports Philadelphia as part of the team’s 25-year, $2.5 billion deal to broadcast games on the network through 2041. Comcast owns the Flyers under Comcast Spectator, which also owns and manages the Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League, and the Seoul Infernal (formerly the Philadelphia Fusion) of the esports Overwatch League.

NBC would also need to secure the rights to stream “out of market” games on Peacock, which are currently available on league-owned streaming packages such as NBA League Pass and MLB.TV.

Currently, the cheapest way for Philly sports fans to stream local games on NBC Sports Philadelphia is through a subscription to YouTube TV, which has increased to $72.99 a month. The network is also available on fuboTV and Hulu + Live TV.

Last year, Comcast raised the cost of its regional sports fee on Xfinity to $13.35 a month, up from $3 in 2016.

By comparison, NESN charges $29.99 a month for sports fans in Boston to stream Red Sox and Bruins games without a cable subscription. The YES Network, which airs New York Yankees games, charges fans $24.99 a month to stream games.