Bally Sports RSN is cutting costs as well as cameras used to create extensive coverage of MLB games while operating in bankruptcy. Bally Sports’ parent company, Diamond Sports Group, filed on March 9th, 2023 after missing a $140 million interest payment in April.
“DSG will continue broadcasting games and connecting fans across the country with the sports and teams they love. We look forward to working constructively with our team and league partners and all DSG stakeholders throughout this process and beyond,” said Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack earlier this month.
While originally, Bally Sports reported game coverage wouldn’t be affected, now it’s cutting robotic cameras as well as smaller handheld cameras, which are mostly used to highlight crowd reactions. It’s seemingly insignificant and likely won’t affect viewers’ enjoyment of any games. Fans tune in to see the games over the crowds anyway.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean fans won’t still have great coverage. As sources report, “The idea is to cut back in areas considered nice to have — such as a robotic camera — but continue to invest in areas that are necessary to maintain high-quality productions.”
One way Bally Sports plans to do this is by bringing its studio show inside the stadium. Other ideas are brewing, but the overall plan is to make changes that are “imperceptible to viewers.” Packing more outside coverage into the stadium while eliminating what some would deem fluff crowd shots will only create more time for cameras to be focused on the field.
Diamond Sports says no jobs will be eliminated, only cameras and studio setup changes will go into effect. The company is even still hiring during the bankruptcy proceedings, bringing on several new senior executives. There are 19 RSNs under the Diamond Sports umbrella and each one will decide for itself how to cut costs while hopefully continuing to save jobs.