Red Wings and Pistons to stay with Bally Sports Detroit through at least 2024-25
Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports’ regional sports networks, has reached an agreement to continue broadcasting games from more than 20 NHL and NBA teams on linear television through the 2024-2025 season, a move seen as a crucial development as the company attempts to emerge from bankruptcy.
The agreement includes the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons, whose games will continue to be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit and via the Bally Sports Plus app.
The agreement was announced on Friday and confirmed by Bally Sports Detroit.
“We are grateful for the continued collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” said David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports Group, in a statement. “These new agreements, covering the NBA and NHL’s linear and direct-to-consumer (DTC) rights, are another important milestone and continue Diamond’s recovery emerging from bankruptcy. This will allow us to deliver more value to our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve dedicated local NBA, NHL and MLB fans.”
“After completing negotiations with key partners who provide security for our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future.
“We appreciate the support of our creditors and are focused on completing our reorganization plan to support our rebuilding and presenting that plan to the court in due course.”
Friday’s announcement does not include Major League Baseball, whose teams, including the Tigers, are under contract with Bally through the end of the 2024 season. The long-term future of a partnership between Bally and MLB remains uncertain. Key financial details of the NHL and NBA agreements were not disclosed, but many of the teams are expected to take a significant cut of licensing fees, including the Pistons and possibly the Red Wings.
Friday’s announcement affects nine NHL teams and 13 NBA teams, with Diamond Sports Group seeking to terminate its contracts with the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks.
Diamond Sports Group has contracts with 11 MLB teams.
Sinclair Broadcast Group bought 21 RSNs from the Walt Disney Company for nearly $10 billion in 2019, just as the market for cable companies began to collapse, largely due to streaming options and cable television. Diamond Sports Group, the subsidiary created to cover Bally Sports’ RSNs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023, reporting more than $8 billion in debt.
The agreements with the NHL and NBA are considered the latest positive steps in Diamond’s journey out of bankruptcy, along with deals with the country’s largest cable providers, including Comcast (Xfinity), late last month. Diamond Sports Group has also secured Amazon as an investor to begin streaming games in the future, although it is still unclear when.
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