Diamond Sports Group Issues Open Letter to Sports Fans and Comcast Xfinity Subscribers Impacted by Xfinity’s Blackout
May 07 2024 - 6:25PM
Business Wire
Diamond Sports Group (“Diamond” or the “Company”) today issued
an open letter to sports fans and Comcast Xfinity subscribers who
lost access Diamond’s Bally Sports regional networks as of May 1,
2024 and are unable to watch their favorite teams.
Comcast Xfinity has refused to engage with Diamond around
market-based renewal terms equivalent to what Diamond agreed to
with its two largest distribution partners. Comcast Xfinity has
even refused to implement a short-term, risk-free extension that
would have enabled fans to continue watching their teams on Bally
Sports during negotiations.
Diamond believes Comcast Xfinity’s extreme stance is hurting
fans, leagues and teams. Diamond is urging Xfinity subscribers to
make their voices heard:
Dear Sports Fans,
Comcast Xfinity recently pulled the
plug on our networks despite our best efforts to reach a
mutually beneficial distribution deal. Their refusal to broadcast
games while we continue the conversation is disappointing for many
reasons, but above all because it hurts you, the fans, and the
sports media industry at large. We appreciate that sports
rights are confusing – and the industry is evolving in a way that
is not always prioritizing the fans. This letter is an effort
for us to be honest and transparent with you.
Bally Sports isn’t just a local sports
network; it brings you, the fans, closer to your favorite local
teams and talent, delivering shared memories, night after night.
And it's not just the fans who are directly impacted – the teams
and leagues with whom we have built relationships for decades are
hurt by this as well.
Bottom line, Xfinity’s current proposal
will immediately put Bally Sports on a tier requiring you to pay
more to see your favorite teams. This matter is not an attempt to ask Xfinity for more money. In
fact, we are just asking them to accept market terms, similar to
what Charter Spectrum, Cox Communications, DirecTV and DirecTV
STREAM all did just last month.
Our goal? Reach a deal and get your local
teams back on air. Sadly, Xfinity hasn’t been willing to engage
in meaningful discussions, nor will they put the channels back on
while we continue to work through this. We’re not giving up,
though. We want to make this work with Xfinity and hope that they
recognize the crucial role Bally Sports plays in serving local
sports fans. The stakes are high. Millions of our customers
who enjoy the games we broadcast are already being left in the
dark.
Now we’re turning to you, the fans. Raise
your voices, let Xfinity know you want your teams back on the air.
Tell them to do right by the fans. After all, you are the ones
who pay to make it happen. Your opinion matters.
The letter and more information can be found online at
www.SaveOurLocalTeams.com.
About Diamond Sports Group Diamond Sports Group LLC, an
independently-managed and unconsolidated subsidiary of Sinclair
Inc., owns the Bally Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), the
nation’s leading provider of local sports. Its 18
owned-and-operated RSNs include Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports
Florida, Bally Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally
Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports New Orleans,
Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Oklahoma, Bally
Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports South, Bally
Sports Southeast, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Sun, Bally
Sports West, and Bally Sports Wisconsin. The Bally Sports RSNs
serve as the TV home to nearly half of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams
based in the United States. Diamond Sports Group also has a joint
venture in Marquee, the home of the Chicago Cubs, and a minority
interest in the YES Network, the local destination for the New York
Yankees and Brooklyn Nets. Diamond RSNs produce over 4,000 live
local professional telecasts each year in addition to a wide
variety of locally produced sports events and programs.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240507687978/en/
Media For Diamond Sports Group: Paul Caminiti/Renée
Soto/Luc Herbowy, Reevemark DiamondSportsTeam@reevemark.com