Comcast Loses Bally Sports RSNs In Carriage Row

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.

Comcast today has lost the Bally Sports regional sports networks because the cable operator could not reach a new carriage agreement with their owner, Diamond Sports. The blackout is a major blow for Diamond Sports which has been working on a bankruptcy reorganization plan for 14 months.

The cable operator said in a statement that Diamond Sports rejected “multiple offers” and noted that it agreed last year to a short-term deal with the RSN company while it’s working on its bankruptcy reorganization plan.

“We have been very flexible with Diamond Sports Group for months as they work through their bankruptcy proceedings, providing them with an extension on the Bally Sports Regional Networks last fall and a unilateral right to extend the term for another year, which they opted to not exercise,” Comcast said in a statement. “We’d like to continue carrying their networks, but they have declined multiple offers and now we no longer have the rights to this programming. We will proactively credit our customers for the costs associated with them – most will automatically receive $8 to 10 per month in credits.”

Diamond Sports issued a statement saying that Comcast rejected an offer to extend the old carriage pact so the companies could continue negotiating without interruption.

“It’s disappointing that Comcast rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air and that Comcast indicated that it intends to pull the signals, preventing fans from watching their favorite local teams,” Diamond Sports said in a statement. “Comcast has refused to engage in substantive discussions despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with much larger distributors of ours. We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and RSNs play in the media ecosystem.”

The Comcast blackout comes after The Puck’s John Ourand reported earlier this week that DIRECTV and Diamond Sports have a multi-year agreement “in principle” to continue carrying the Bally Sports regional sports networks. In addition, Diamond Sports yesterday said Cox Cable has signed on for multiple years as did Charter’s Spectrum TV earlier this year.

But as we saw with its recent MASN negotiation, the odds are good that Comcast wants to move Bally Sports to a higher programming tier. That would mean that you would have to subscribe to a more expensive programming package to get your local Bally Sports channel. Diamond Sports, the bankrupt owner of the Bally Sports RSNs, would likely resist that move because it would likely mean that fewer Comcast subscribers would have access to their channels. And less access mean reduced carriage fees for Diamond Sports.

The NBA, NHL and MLB have all voiced concerns that Diamond Sports will not have the financial resources to continue broadcasting their teams’ games beyond the current year. It’s unclear how the Comcast situation will affect those relationships if the blackout is not resolved soon.

The blackout means that Comcast subscribers in such major markets as Detroit, Miami, Nashville and Minnesota will not be able to watch their hometown teams on TV. In addition to the aforementioned satellite and cable providers, Bally Sports channels are available on DIRECTV Stream and Fubo.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.

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