DALLAS, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 19: A Bally Sports logo is seen on the basket post during the second … [+]
Dallas Mavericks games will no longer be broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest. Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports regional sports networks, is ending its contract with the Mavericks, pending NBA approval. Diamond is also ending its contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The decision to end the contracts with the Mavericks and Pelicans comes as Diamond continues to try to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On Friday, Diamond announced an agreement to continue broadcasting games for 13 NBA teams and nine NHL teams through the upcoming 2024-25 season.
“We have entered into 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,” An NBA spokesperson said: The Dallas Morning News“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 upcoming season games in their respective markets. This new agreement is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court.”
In January, Mavericks deputy governor Mark Cuban said the team’s games would not air on Bally next season “unless something crazy happens, like Amazon buys them or something.” Amazon has partnered with Diamond as part of its proposed debt restructuring agreement, but Cuban said earlier this month that the Mavericks would look elsewhere to maximize their game distribution.
While it’s still unclear what the maximized broadcast will look like, at least 30 Mavericks games will be televised nationally during the 2024-25 season. Dallas announced earlier this month that it would broadcast nine games on TNT, nine on ESPN, seven on NBA TV and five on ABC. In a statement, it said a local broadcast schedule would be announced at a later date.
Last season, the Mavericks showed a willingness to work with local partners to broadcast games. The team and Dallas-Fort Worth’s ABC affiliate, WFAA has reached an agreement to broadcast 10 live games for free towards the end of the 2023-24 regular season.
The 13 NBA teams that continue to stream their games on Bally Sports are the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma Thunder, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.
If Diamond does not have a plan to exit Chapter 11 by the end of the next NBA and NHL seasons, the contracts will be terminated.
