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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
The Bally Sports Channel, operated by distribution company Comcast, went offline in early May after Comcast and Bally's bankruptcy management company Diamond Sports Group were unable to agree on a new contract, leaving Major League Baseball fans across the U.S. to tune in to their local teams. I can no longer watch it. .
Diamond Sports Group originally agreed to a six-month contract extension with Comcast in the fall, but was unable to agree to a new multi-year deal before the deal expired Tuesday night, leaving Comcast with Barry. The sports channel was forced to withdraw.
Diamond Sports Group has signed multi-year deals with its two largest distributors, Charter and DirecTV, as of Wednesday. But the company also wanted to secure a deal with Comcast ahead of an approval hearing in bankruptcy court in June. Failure to do so could seriously jeopardize Diamond's ability to emerge from bankruptcy.
Diamond Sports Group, which originally filed for bankruptcy reorganization in March 2023, operated 18 networks, many of which were distributed by Comcast under the Xfinity brand. Diamond Sports Group retains linear rights to 12 MLB teams: Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay doing. Rays and Milwaukee Brewers.
Comcast's presence varies widely across the aforementioned markets. For example, the impact on baseball fans in Southern California is much smaller than on baseball fans in the southeastern United States. Diamond Sports Group maintains the streaming rights to the Marlins, Rays, Royals, and Tigers, providing fans of these teams with alternative viewing options. Local fans of the other eight teams that subscribe to Comcast are currently unable to watch games that are not broadcast nationally.
MLB cannot lift blackout restrictions for these teams through its streaming service MLB.TV. This is because it constitutes a breach of the team's contract with Diamond Sports Group. MLB could only lift the blackout if the deal between the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks fell through.
As of now, there is minimal to no impact on the NBA and NHL, with both leagues playing in the postseason and broadcasting games on national television.
As part of a statement, a Diamond Sports Group representative said: “Comcast has rejected an extension that would have kept our channel on the air, indicating its intention to deny our fans access to their favorite shows. That's unfortunate,” he wrote. Comcast has refused to engage in substantive discussions, even though Diamond has offered similar terms to our major distribution companies. We are a fan-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to resume broadcasting at this critical juncture. We hope Comcast recognizes the important and mutually beneficial role of diamonds. [regional sports networks] Play in the media ecosystem. ”
Comcast's desire to immediately place Bally Sports' team in a higher, more expensive tier was widely known throughout the industry and ultimately became a major hurdle in the deal, according to people familiar with the situation. said. Comcast currently does not offer the Bally Sports channel and is offering customers an $8 to $10 monthly credit.
A Comcast representative said in a statement that the company “has been extremely flexible during the months that Diamond Sports Group has been undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, and last fall announced the extension of the Bally Sports Regional Network and… We have offered them the right to unilaterally extend the contract.” We would like to take over their network, but they have turned down multiple offers and currently we do not have the rights to this show. ”
A Diamond representative said the company is still open to negotiations.
