For a year now, Bally Sport’s parent company, Diamond Sports, has been in bankruptcy to try and find a way to get its debt order control and keep operating. Recently, a deal was reached that, if approved, would have let Bally Sports exit bankruptcy and keep operating.
Now though Comcast has dropped Bally Sports after the two sides where unable to reach a deal. Bally Sports says Comcast wants to move the RSNs to more expensive packages.
Last month MLB, NHL, and the NBA have 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 MLB to set up alternative broadcast option for Comcast subscribers.
Now, in a hearing earlier today, the 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,” according to the StarTribune.
The NBA attorney again today 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.
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.”
Bally Sports has said they are making progress in finding a new naming partner willing to sponsor the channels. This comes as 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.
Please follow us on Facebook and X for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.