Big news is brewing in the world of baseball broadcasting! Diamond Sports Group, the company behind the Bally Sports-branded Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), has made a bold move. They are telling the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that it’s planning to void nearly all of its legacy media contracts with Major League Baseball teams.
At a virtual hearing on Wednesday, Diamond’s attorney, Andrew Goldman, announced that the company is keeping only one telecast agreement: a standalone deal with the Atlanta Braves. The rest of their MLB partners? They’re getting cut loose.
What’s the deal with the Braves? Well, they’re the lucky exception. The other eight teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Angels, among others, are being let go if Diamond’s bankruptcy reorganization plan goes through. As for the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers, their contracts with Diamond already expired in September, so they’re out of the equation.
Diamond’s big shift stems from its ongoing bankruptcy situation, where it’s looking to shed the weight of costly media contracts. Bally Sports, which paid around $800 million to these 12 teams in 2024 alone, is clearly seeking some financial relief.
Teams like the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels were among the highest earners under these deals. Even Texas was still pulling in significant cash despite a 2024 rights fee reduction.
So, what does this mean for those teams losing their TV partner? According to Goldman, the clubs can now start planning for their own broadcasting futures in 2025, free to strike deals that better suit their needs. However, while Diamond is taking a step back, there’s a glimmer of hope. The company is open to revisiting deals with individual teams—likely at a reduced cost—if the right modifications can be made. But for now, the ball is in the team’s court.
The MLB isn’t too thrilled with how things are shaking out. MLB’s attorney, James Bromley claimed the league was blindsided by Diamond’s Braves-focused plan. Bromley wasn’t told about it until just over an hour before the hearing, leaving little time for MLB to react. He’s claiming it to be unfair to expect the league to respond on such short notice.
MLB’s lawyer in court says this is the first MLB is hearing of this plan.
“We have no information about what is being done,” Jim Bromley, lawyer for MLB, said. “We’ve had no opportunity to review and now we’re in front of the court and being asked to make our comments.”
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
The hearing wrapped up with Judge Christopher Lopez scheduling a follow-up session for October 9, and a final confirmation hearing is set for November 14. All eyes are now on Diamond and MLB to see how this all plays out—and whether any of those clubs will reconsider sticking with their old RSN partner. But with MLB keen on controlling its streaming destiny, it looks like the league may be ready to move on from the Bally Sports era entirely.
