The Diamond Sports-MLB Crisis: Could Amazon Stream the Bally Sports Games?

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

TV Answer Man, whatever happened to Amazon taking over Diamond Sports and Bally Sports and showing the games on Prime Video? Is that still a possibility? — Jamal, Sacramento, California.

Jamal, the answer is yes. But before I explain, a little background on what continues to be a very complicated situation.

Diamond Sports, the owner of the Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSN), has notified the judge presiding over its bankruptcy reorganization that it plans to jettison its agreements with all MLB teams except the Atlanta Braves on December 31, 2024. The RSN company says it will try to renegotiate new deals with at least some of the teams, but if it fails, it will terminate the MLB contracts which it can under bankruptcy law.

The teams that could become TV free agents are the Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Angels. Diamond Sports also broadcast the 2024 games of the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins but their contracts have already expired.

This is where Amazon could play a role.

Diamond Sports said earlier this year that the e-commerce giant would invest $115 million in the company, but the New York Times and other publications reported in late August that the partnership had fallen apart. It appeared that Amazon was no longer interested in streaming the Bally Sports games, at least not in any deal with the beleaguered Diamond Sports.

However, the New York Post reported last month that Amazon was nearing an agreement to stream Bally Sports’ NBA and NHL games, and five MLB teams, in a non-exclusive deal possibly starting in 2024. (Diamond Sports has been able to reach an agreement with the NBA and NHL to continue broadcasting roughly 20 teams for the 2024/25 season.) The Post article has not been confirmed by other publications and yesterday’s filing by Diamond Sports would suggest the streaming of the five MLB teams is uncertain at best.

But now that Diamond Sports has said officially that it might jettison the MLB deals, Amazon (and others) could try to secure them separately. Amazon has certainly demonstrated an interest in expanding its sports coverage and the 11 MLB teams would be a nice addition in those markets. (The available rights would be regional, not national.) The company could also supplement the offering with the NBA and NHL teams, as the New York Post article suggests.

The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation. And if you have questions about the Diamond Sports-MLB crisis, send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

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.