Bankrupt regional sports network operator Diamond Sports Group has reached an agreement with Comcast on a deal to return 15 RSNs to Xfinity pay-TV systems.
Bally Sports North Fades to Black as Comcast and Diamond Sports Fail to Reach Agreement
The networks went dark in April, frustrating millions of fans and adding to the woes of Diamond, which operates the Bally Sports network franchise once owned by 21st Century Fox. After Disney bought most of Fox in 2019, the company was forced to sell the RSNs, and a group of investors led by Sinclair took them over, only to be left with a raft of headaches. Covid and the rapid shift to streaming have put a strain on the long-lucrative RSN model, which has been put under intense pressure by cord-cutting and changing consumer habits.
For Diamond, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, the deal offers hope that it can emerge on the other side and continue operating. It has previously struck carriage deals with major operators such as Charter and DirecTV, but Comcast, the No. 2 pay TV provider in the U.S., has remained a significant void in its distribution map.
The agreement will see the networks regain access to Xfinity Ultimate TV subscribers beginning Thursday, August 1. The Bally Networks, which are also available via an authenticated Bally app, will provide live coverage of Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL games.
