Regardless of whether it emerges from bankruptcy or not, Diamond Sports Group, which broadcasts Bally’s branded regional sports networks, now promises that it will operate through the 2024-25 NBA season and NHL seasons.
Diamond Sports said Friday it has reached agreements with both leagues and that as part of the basketball deal, the broadcaster is opting out of contracts with two teams: The Dallas Mavericks And The New Orleans PelicansIt was already known that the Pelicans had reached broadcast agreements elsewhere for the 2024-25 season.
The deals must be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge, with a hearing scheduled for Sept. 3. The terms of the contracts in both leagues were also changed, presumably with some reductions in rights payments, but no specific dollar amounts were disclosed in Friday’s court documents. NBA presented the departures from the Mavs and Pelicans as a mutual agreement with Diamond.
“We have reached a new agreement with Diamond Sports Group for the 2024-25 season during which Diamond RSNs will broadcast the local games of 13 NBA teams,” the NBA said in a statement. “The Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans have declined to continue broadcasting their games on Diamond RSNs and will share more details soon on how to watch games for the upcoming season in their respective markets. This new agreement is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court.”
Diamond would now carry 13 NBA teams and nine NHL teams for the leagues’ 2024-25 seasons. If Diamond does indeed emerge from bankruptcy, the NBA and NHL have both agreed to terms that would also be in effect beyond 2024-25. However, the question of Diamond’s long-term viability still looms over everything else, and when it will be resolved.
For Diamond to emerge from bankruptcy, it must have a confirmation hearing in which a judge approves a plan. One was scheduled for late July, but it was not pushed back Diamond has said it needs to make significant changes to its plan. No new dates have been announced yet. (Diamond proposed a new arrangement with some of its major creditors on Friday that listed Oct. 1 and Nov. 15 as key procedural deadlines.)
Diamond and Comcast had a nearly three-month-long dispute this summer that left Diamond channels unable to reach Comcast Xfinity subscribers’ homes. right in the middle of Major League BaseballDiamond’s season. Diamond also broadcasts a dozen MLB teams.
Diamond and Comcast reached a deal that brought the games back online in early August, but the deal recently put the Diamond channels on a tier for Comcast subscribers — meaning customers have to pay a premium each month to get them.
It remains to be seen how the economics of the new Comcast deal will affect Diamond, but it could have a domino effect. Diamond has most-favored-nation clauses in its agreements with various distributors, such as Comcast, that promise a given Diamond distributor will adjust its deal if it gives another better terms. The terms of the contract aren’t public, however, so it’s unclear what the Comcast deal means for Diamond as a whole.
Bally Sports reporter Kristina Pink interviews James Harden on Dec. 6, 2023. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
Diamond CEO David Preschlack presented Friday’s news in a positive light.
“We are grateful for the continued collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” Preschlack said in a statement. “These new agreements covering linear and (direct-to-consumer) rights to the NBA and NHL are another important milestone and continue Diamond’s momentum toward emergence, which will allow us to deliver value to our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve the dedicated local fans of the NBA, NHL and MLB.”
“Having successfully completed negotiations with key partners that provide us with certainty around our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future. With the support of our creditors, we are focused on finalizing our plan of reorganization to support our emergence and presenting that plan to the court in due course.”
In some ways, Diamond’s new deals with hockey and basketball put the spotlight back on MLB, which has no certainty whether Diamond will work for its 2025 season. MLB declined to comment Friday.
Baseball doesn’t have a comprehensive deal with Diamond like the NBA and NHL do. MLB and Diamond recently discussed such an arrangement, a person briefed on the discussions said, but it’s unclear whether there’s much interest. Diamond’s relationship with MLB has been the most contentious throughout the bankruptcy process, which began in early 2023. Part of the problem is how the two sides value MLB’s streaming rights.
Only five of the 12 teams Diamond broadcasts on television were also available through a streaming package Diamond offers, Bally Sports+. The more streaming options fans have, the easier it is for them to watch games. But MLB and Diamond disagree on how much those streaming rights are worth.
With the Mavs and Pelicans out of the game, the Diamond’s 13 NBA teams are: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, The Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana PacersLos Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic And San Antonio Spurs.
The nine NHL teams: the The Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, The St. Louis Blues And Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Pelicans it seems there is an agreement will air live next season on WVUE-TV.
(Photo from the top of the American Airlines Center in Dallas: Jerome Miron/USA Today)
