Are Comcast and Bally Sports Close to an Agreement?

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

TV Answer Man, is there anything new with Comcast and Bally Sports? We miss our Twins! – Roger, Duluth, Minnesota.

Roger, on May 1, Comcast 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 has left Comcast subscribers without the broadcasts of their local MLB teams in several markets including Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Miami, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

The two sides are warring over Comcast’s request to move the Bally Sports channels to a more expensive programming tier, which would reduce Diamond Sports’ carriage fees. (Channels are paid by how many subscribers have access to them. The higher tier would reduce the number of subscribers that have access to Bally Sports.)

However, there is now hope that the two sides could soon reach an agreement.

Diamond Sports, which is working on a bankruptcy reorganization plan, yesterday told its presiding bankruptcy judge that it has made “substantial progress” in the negotiations with Comcast, reports ESPN.

“We believe that we have made substantial progress on resolving our issues with Comcast, and we have the intention of fully documenting and executing an agreement with Comcast to broadcast our RSNs (regional sports networks) in the very near term,” a Diamond Sports attorney said.

As I wrote here earlier this month, it would make sense for Diamond Sports to drop its opposition to Comcast’s demand. The RSN company desperately needs distribution on Comcast to assure the leagues that it will have the resources and reach to broadcast their games in the coming months and years.

The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything significant changes.

Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!

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.