Detroit Pistons And Detroit Red Wings fans who jumped for the upgraded Xfinity cable package that includes Bally Sports Detroit you don’t need to start looking for a new contract this season – yet.
Diamond Sports Group, owner of Bally Sports Detroit, will continue to broadcast local games of 20 NBA and NHL teams, including the Pistons and Wings, through the 2024-25 season.
Diamond reached agreements with the NBA and NHL that were disclosed Friday in documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
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“We are grateful for the continued collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack said in a statement. “Having 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 a timely manner.”
The Sinclair Broadcast Group subsidiary operated Bally’s branded regional sports networks that broadcast NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball games in many markets across the country. Diamond filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2023 and was ordered last spring to pay four MLB teams 50% of the unpaid media rights they were owed.
Behind-the-scenes business issues at Diamond have led to uncertainty over where teams could broadcast their games when they are not on national television.
In the NBA, Diamond will continue to broadcast local games of the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
In the NHL, the group will continue to broadcast the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bally Sports Detroit also broadcasts Detroit Tigers games in Michigan. The network was removed from Xfinity’s cable packages for three months of the 2024 MLB season due to a carriage dispute, but reached an agreement with Comcast-owned Xfinity in late July.
Diamond will no longer continue its relationships with the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, the latter of which recently reached an agreement with Fox’s local affiliate in New Orleans to broadcast games. The Mavericks had long been thought likely to part ways with Bally, and Dallas’ NHL team, the Stars, previously parted ways with Diamond to launch their own streaming platform.
Diamond’s next bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for September 3.
