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

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.

Since Diamond Sports made the announcement last week, The TV Answer Man has received a ball basket full of questions from readers in the Bally Sports markets. Here are some of the top questions on their minds and the answers on how their team’s coverage might change in the next year.

Could Amazon Stream the Bally Sports Games?

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.

Could ESPN Take Over the Bally Sports Games?

The news has prompted considerable speculation regarding what will happen with the teams’ broadcasts in 2025. MLB could produce and distribute the games, as it did for the Padres, Rockies and Diamondbacks when Diamond Sports ended its agreements with those clubs. It’s also possible that the teams could seek deals with local channels as a handful of NBA and NHL teams did when they lost their RSN agreements. But one intriguing possibility is ESPN taking over the games as part of its ESPN+ streaming service.

ESPN+, a national service, could use geotargeting technology to provide the teams in their respective markets and the network’s chairman, Jimmy Pitaro, said last month that he’s interested in obtaining the rights.

“If Major League Baseball is able to put together a group of teams, we would love to sit down with (MLB execs)…and do a larger deal that, quite honestly, would be simpler than having to do individual team deals,” he said. “Team-specific deals are definitely on the table.”

At this point, it’s up to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to determine what is the best solution for the league and the individual teams. Diamond Sports? Local channels? ESPN or perhaps Amazon? Which one will bring in the most revenue and provide fans with the greatest availability?

And the teams need to decide if they want to be part of a group or make individual deals.

Depending upon how it goes, it’s quite possible that ESPN+ will emerge as the new regional home of at least some Bally Sports teams in 2025.

Could MLB TV Stream the Games Without Blackouts?

MLB officials said it had no advanced warning of the Diamond Sports filing. The league will now have to evaluate its options which could include signing a deal with a new carrier such as ESPN or Amazon or allowing the teams to negotiate separate deals with local channels that could be accessed for free via an antenna.

Another option would be MLB TV. The league’s streaming service became the broadcaster of the Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies when Diamond Sports terminated their agreements in 2023 and 2024. MLB could add the remaining Bally Sports teams (except for the Braves) to MLB TV as well. And, yes, the games could be shown on MLB TV in market without blackouts.

Update: MLB to take over broadcasts of Twins, Guardians and Brewers.

Could the Bally Sports Teams Make Their Own Deals?

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has frequently said he’s interested in offering the Bally Sports channels as a package via MLB TV or sold to another media company, such as Amazon, ESPN, Apple or Google. He would also like to include other RSNs, such as the Yes Network and Marquee Sports Network, but it’s highly unlikely the owners of those channels would be interested because they make too much money being separate entities.

But if Diamond Sports drops all the Bally Sports teams, except for the Braves, could one of those teams break away from MLB and make its own deal with a local channel or another company? The answer is yes and there’s evidence that some teams are already considering it.

The Orange County Register reports that the Los Angeles Angels are planning to renegotiate a new deal with…Diamond Sports. The carriage fee would likely be reduced but the Angels apparently believe they can still get a better deal from Diamond Sports than anyone else.

And The Fort Worth Star Telegram writes that the Texas Rangers are considering creating its own regional sports network.

So, Commissioner Manfred’s dream of bundling the Bally Sports teams in one lucrative package appears to be on shaky ground. It’s quite possible two or more teams will make their own deals.

Update: MLB says Texas Rangers will explore local TV deals.

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.