Last month, Comcast dropped the regional sports networks (RSNs) Bally Sports from its lineup. According to Bally Sports, Comcast wanted to move the network to a more expensive package. This move could result in Bally Sports not being able to move forward.
Now Comcast and Bally Sports have ended negotiations a move that has resulted in a letter from U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Comcast has ended negotiations with Bally Sports. Senator Smith went on to ask Comcast to return to the negotiation table.
“I encourage you to return to the negotiation table and work in good faith to promptly reach an agreement that restores access to Minnesota professional sports and protects affordability for your customers. I am particularly concerned by media reports that indicate the impasse is the result of Comcast’s effort to move Bally Sports North into a more expensive subscription package. Fans are not bargaining chips and hardball tactics in the pursuit of greater profit shouldn’t prevent access watching baseball,”said Senator Smith in a letter obtained by Valley News Live.
Last month MLB, NHL, and the NBA said in court they worry about Comcast harming Bally Sports’ plans to restructure and exit bankruptcy. MLB went as far as to say that Bally Sports has been “an undependable partner” and that Comcast dropping Bally Sports has hurt the MLB according to Bloomberg. This has forced the MLB to set up an alternate broadcast option for Comcast subscribers.
Now, in a hearing earlier earlier this month, NHL attorney Shana Elberg said the league needs answers now about the future of Bally Sports RSNs. “We have told the debtors unequivocally that we need to get clarity on certain outstanding matters this week,” she said according to the StarTribune.
The NBA attorney also raised real questions about the future of Bally Sports if a deal with Comcast is not reached. “Without a Comcast deal, [Bally Sports] may very well not be able to survive,” said Vincent Indelicato. “We simply cannot wait much longer” to find out.
All of this has resulted in Bally Sports asking for an emergency court hearing, according to the docket, because it is unable to give info MLB, NBA, and NHL are asking for. This includes whether Bally Sports can continue without Comcast and also what are its contracts with other TV partners.
Bally Sports has said it can not share these details as its contract with the cable TV partners do not allow it to
In a statement sent to Cord Cutters News, a Diamond Sports Group spokesperson said, “We recently gained certainty on the vast majority of our principal revenue streams, which is beneficial for our team and league partners and their loyal fans and supports the growth of our DTC offering through our commercial arrangement with Amazon, following multi-year agreements with 10 of our top 12 distributors. We are focused on negotiations with our league partners and look forward to continuing constructive discussions as we work to finalize the path forward for Diamond’s business.”
In a statement sent to Cord Cutters News, a Comcast spokesperson said, “Bally Sports chose not to exercise a right to extend their contract, and they declined multiple offers, so we don’t have the rights to their programming. More than 70 percent of our customers that received these networks didn’t watch them. We moved forward with our plan to proactively credit millions of customers for the costs associated with them – most are automatically receiving $8 to 10 per month in credits.”
Bally Sports has said they are making progress in finding a new naming partner willing to sponsor the channels. After the current 2024 MLB season the naming rights for Bally Sports will come to an end.
So now the future of Bally Sports may hinge on its ability to reach a deal with Comcast.
Here is the full letter:
Dear Mr. Roberts,
I am writing to request that you promptly resolve the dispute that has led to Minnesota Twins games being unavailable to Comcast customers in Minnesota. My constituents are furious. Minnesotans look forward to watching the Twins all winter long. With no advance notice, households across Minnesota have been suddenly locked out of watching Twins games, affecting people in every corner of our state. I strongly encourage Comcast to return to negotiations and fix this.
I understand that Major League Baseball teams partner with regional sports networks to broadcast games and these networks then partner with companies like yours to distribute these broadcasts to consumers. It is also my understanding that on April 30, 2024, the previous agreement between Comcast and Diamond Sports, the owner of Bally Sports North, expired. Immediately after, Comcast customers across Minnesota couldn’t watch Twins games, and were given no clear timeline for when this problem would be resolved. This dispute is also blocking Minnesota Lynx games and could extend to Timberwolves and Wild games if not resolved before the next National Basketball Association and National Hockey League seasons. While Comcast has provided small credits toward the bills of affected customers, a long-term outage of these games is untenable. As more time passes, I am increasingly concerned that a real solution isn’t materializing.
I encourage you to return to the negotiation table and work in good faith to promptly reach an agreement that restores access to Minnesota professional sports and protects affordability for your customers. I am particularly concerned by media reports that indicate the impasse is the result of Comcast’s effort to move Bally Sports North into a more expensive subscription package. Fans are not bargaining chips and hardball tactics in the pursuit of greater profit shouldn’t prevent access watching baseball.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, (DFL) Minnesota
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