By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, I see Diamond and Bally Sports are suing the Suns and Mercury. What does this mean? Could this end the deal with Gray? — Sandy, Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sandy, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury announced last week that they have signed an agreement with Gray Television to broadcast their entire regular season on local Arizona TV channels starting with the 2023-23 season. Team officials have suggested the games would be available for free. See this article for more details.
However, Diamond Sports, which last month declared bankruptcy and is seeking to reorganize its regional sports network business, which includes the 19 Bally Sports RSNs, has filed an emergency stay motion to block the Gray deal, according to The Athletic.
The RSN company previously carried the teams on Bally Sports Arizona but the agreement may have expired. However, Diamond says its agreement with the Suns and Mercury gave it the right of first refusal, meaning it could match the offer made by Gray.
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But Diamond is alleging that the teams did not allow it to match the Gray offer, which the company says violates bankruptcy law and damages its effort to reorganize.
“The Suns’ failure to comply with their contractual duties, and Diamond Arizona’s potential loss of approximately 70 games of NBA content provided by the Suns each season, puts Diamond Arizona’s business at significant peril, thereby directly threatening its ability to reorganize,” the emergency motion states, according to The Athletic.
The Suns and Mercury countered with a statement saying the Diamond lawsuit is not a surprise and that it’s confident it will win in court.
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“It will not stop the Phoenix Suns and Mercury from making our games available to as many people as we possibly can,” said Mat Ishbia, the teams’ owner. “I firmly believe the future success of the NBA and WNBA is about getting our product to everyone who wants it versus just the people who pay for it.”
It’s unclear when the courts will resolve the issue, but it will be watched with eagle eyes by executives of every team that currently has an agreement with Diamond. (Diamond carries the games of 14 MLB, 16 NBA and 12 NHL teams.) If Diamond wins, or at least ties up the Suns/Mercury-Gray deal indefinitely, it will likely discourage any other team from following suit, no pun intended. While the Gray-like agreement may have some appeal to other teams, they do not want to get involved in a contracted legal battle.
The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything significant changes.
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Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
