Back in 2020, Hulu and YouTube TV both dropped the Bally Sports RSNs. Now, according to new reports, Bally Sports is hoping to strike new deals with both Hulu and YouTube TV. The question now is will both sides be able to come to an agreement at a price both sides can agree to or will Hulu and YouTube walk away again?
In 2020, when YouTube TV and Hulu walked away from Bally Sports and stopped offering the network, Sinclair was expecting over $300 million from its deals with the two streaming services. At the time, both services said Bally Sports RSNs was not worth it. Now the question is what would they be willing to accept.
Bally Sports is reportedly hoping to use revenue from new deals with streaming services to help them pay its upcoming bills to NBA and NHL teams. Bally Sports must pay 14 NBA teams to keep their TV rights. These payments are expected to happen in October or November 1, 2023. According to the report, the average fee owed to each team is about $40 million. If Bally Sports wants to keep all of the teams, it will have to pay about $560 million, though that is reportedly to be paid in installments over the season. (It is being reported that the Pelicans have already been paid, leaving 14 teams left.)
To help with this, Bally Sports has asked the court for an extension on its plan to get out of bankruptcy. Originally Bally Sports had until last weekend to come up with a plan but is hoping the court will grant an extension. At the time of this posting the court has not ruled on Bally Sports’ request to extend the deadline.
The NBA teams Bally Sports currently has contracts with are the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs. Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks. (The Pelicans have reportedly already been paid.)
The NHL teams that Bally Sports currently has contacts with are the Arizona Coyotes, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Los Angeles Kings.
With all of this happening the future of Bally Sports may very well rest on Hulu and YouTube TV being willing to accept a deal to bring back the RSNs.