By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
TV Answer Man, I remember reading awhile back that DIRECTV was fighting with Bally Sports over back fees for Padres games. Did they ever resolve that? — Barry, San Diego.
Barry, Diamond Sports, the owner of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, earlier this year filed a motion in bankruptcy court to compel DIRECTV to pay for past carriage fees that the RSN company said the TV provider owed it for carrying San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks games. Diamond Sports, which declared bankruptcy in March 2023, alleged that DIRECTV stopped paying the fees after Diamond in the summer of 2023 ended its agreements to broadcast the Padres and Diamondbacks games.
The Bally Sports owner said its contract with DIRECTV required it to continue paying the carriage fees for the two MLB teams even though Diamond Sports didn’t provide their games. In its objection to the motion, filed January 11, 2024, DIRECTV said Diamond Sports was requesting fees for services they didn’t deliver.
So, what happened to this legal battle?
On May 1, DIRECTV announced that it had signed a multi-year agreement with Diamond Sports to continue carrying their broadcasts of MLB, NHL and NBA games. And in a court filing this week, Diamond Sports told the bankruptcy judge that the battle over past carriage fees had been reconciled as part of the new multi-year agreement.
Diamond Sports is asking the bankruptcy judge to approve the DIRECTV agreement, which is highly likely. The RSN company is working on the final touches of its bankruptcy reorganization plan.
Barry, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
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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.
