Today we learned that Bally Sports had decided not to pay the Diamondbacks and returned the rights to air Padres games to the MLB. This move puts the MLB’s backup plans in the event an RSN network is unable to pay its rights into action as tonight’s game will now not air on Bally Sports.
Diamondbacks fans can now obtain a new direct-to-consumer streaming subscription for $19.99 per month or $54.99 for the rest of the season by registering at MLB.TV. This offer is only for Diamondbacks fans in the Club’s Home Television Territory and is a separate service from the MLB.TV out of market package.
You will also be able to stream the games with Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM. If you still have cable in one of the Diamondbacks TV markets, you will find it on Cox, DIRECTV, Spectrum, and Comcast.
If you live outside of the Diamondback markets, you will still use MLB.TV to access their games.
“As Major League Baseball has proven with the Padres, we’re ready to produce and distribute games to fans, including Diamondbacks games starting today,” said Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer. “While we’re disappointed that Diamond Sports Group failed to live up to their contractual agreement with another Club, we are taking this opportunity to reimagine the distribution model, remove blackouts on local games, improve the telecast, and expand the reach of Diamondbacks games by 4.7 million homes.”
“Through the power of Major League Baseball and the Diamondbacks, we are working to elevate the game broadcast experience for all Diamondbacks fans,” said Billy Chambers, MLB Executive Vice President, Local Media. “As we have done with the Padres, we will apply new technology, deliver better picture quality and work towards increasing access to better tell the story of the Diamondbacks each and every night.”
“This decision provides us with an opportunity to partner with Major League Baseball to produce high quality broadcasts of D-backs games on current platforms, expand access to include streaming options, and remove local blackouts that have been a fan frustration point for years,” said D-backs President, CEO, and General Partner Derrick Hall. “We have enjoyed our partnership with Bally Sports Arizona and thank them for the longtime partnership. But we look forward to providing unprecedented access to our exciting team moving forward, including a greatly expanded reach of new households.”
The Diamondbacks primary TV broadcasters Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly will continue to serve in their existing roles.