The Diamond Sports-MLB Crisis: Could the Bally Sports Teams Make Their Own Deals?

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

TV Answer Man, I understand that Major League Baseball and Rob Manfred want to offer all teams in a streaming package like the Sunday Ticket. But with the Bally Sports channels, couldn’t the teams break away from that and do their own deals? With a local channel or another regional sports network, right? — Brian, Manhattan Beach, California. 

Brian, Diamond Sports, the owner of the Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSN), last week alerted a bankruptcy court that it might not carry any MLB teams after December 31, 2024 except for the Atlanta Braves. The company, which declared bankruptcy in March 2023 and is seeking to reorganize, says it will try to renegotiate new deals with at least some of the teams. But if that effort 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.

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 to your question: 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.

Brian, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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.