Bally Sports possible bankruptcy?

[Sassy Sal]

Besides the short term cash infusion, I could never figure out why MLB sold this. Keeping online streaming rights would have cut the Gordian Knot that is today’s MLB televising of games. It was dumb.

It was also a cutting edge, top of the pyramid technology. I wonder if they didn't feel like they were getting too involved outside their comfort zone and saw the dollar signs. I recall thinking it was short sighted.

[Big Klu]

Does anyone know if "This Week in Baseball" still airs?

Sure it does! Here's an episode that aired "not too long ago":

Fox did a revival a few years ago - but ESPN and MLB Network have made it pointless.

I used to love to watch it and would get to Reds games early to watch it on the Jumbotron at Riverfront

Unless you can clone Mel Allen, there's no point.

[TNRED]

Well, I’ve decided to stop paying someone just to see the Reds. To me the $30-35 dollar difference isn’t worth it, especially over 12 months.

I’m just inside the Reds market and I’ve had Directv stream, but they just sent another price increase and I’ve gone back to Youtube TV.

I really wonder since DirectTV lost NFL Sunday ticket will they too go under? I cannot believe they can continue to support satellite technology and carry so many useless and redundant stations…especially when they’ve lost their golden goose.

I switched to YouTube Tv about a year ago and it was a great decision! It wouldnt take much for me to also drop that because most of the time I am watching You Tube or Netflix. I said a year ago that the satellite TV was on its last legs. Streaming is just so much easier and efficient.

[Benihana]

This actually gives MLB the perfect opportunity to “start over” and level the playing field for revenue, just like the NFL. It will be a lot less revenue to many teams, but that day has been coming for a long time as everyone knows the RSNs being subsidized by the cable providers was completely unsustainable.

Like others have said, I’m sure MLB WON’T do the smart and equitable thing here however, and as a result the product (and the Reds) will continue to suffer miserably.

[Roy Tucker]

It was also a cutting edge, top of the pyramid technology. I wonder if they didn't feel like they were getting too involved outside their comfort zone and saw the dollar signs. I recall thinking it was short sighted.

Could very well be. Hard to read MLB these days besides the big clubs getting favored.

Some background on Disney and BAMtech. Looks like Disney uses the technology for everything. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...ch-1235271788/

[Sassy Sal]

Could very well be. Hard to read MLB these days besides the big clubs getting favored.

Some background on Disney and BAMtech. Looks like Disney uses the technology for everything. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bu...ch-1235271788/

MLB Advanced Media streamed its first baseball game during the 2002 season, a full three years before YouTube was founded.

That really sticks out to me. I can't believe how long ago that was.

[traderumor]

Not sure what folks mean with NFL model comparison, where they dictate what game I get to watch and limit to a max of two channels carrying a game at any one time.

[WildcatFan]

Watching on MLB.TV every inning there would be a commercial for butt crack deodorant, can't imagine ad rates were too high.

I just can’t believe Phil Castellini has his own deodorant.

[GAC]

For me the bottom line is that I am a six hour drive from Cincy and I am in a blackout area. I had to use a proxy server as I subscribed to mlb. i am glad to pay 20 or 30 bucks a month to see the Reds play but the system does their best to block me. I at one time had Direct TV and watched Bally on there and then switched to Dish and the got in a dispute with Bally and dropped them. You shouldnt have to work that hard to pay someone to see a game.

You're not alone my friend. And I've said the same thing concerning paying a monthly subscription to watch Red's game. While I'm only 2 hours from Cincy, the Red's viewing area pretty much covers the whole state of Ohia with the line north just south of Cleveland (lol). Ridiculous.

I went to OD, and afterwards didn't see one televised Red's game all last Summer. Unless of course I wanted to go back to cable or satellite (which ain't happening).

For me, sadly, baseball, as far as my interest/passion goes, is going the same route as the NBA, NFL, and now (maybe) the CFP with the entrance of the NIL and transfer portal.

[HammerTime]

Nothing is going to happen overnight would be my guess, but I would bet there are some seriously nervous ownership groups out there. I never understood how these RSNs, especially in the smaller markets, were worth the massive amounts they were paying. The fact that the Reds have gone on a total cheap-out could turn out to be a lucky thing, assuming the bankruptcy leads to contract restructuring or selling off on the cheap. This is going to be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

They might even be worth more now. Hard to say because we don't know the specifics of some of the deals. Live sports is about the only thing that matters at this point. Someone will pay.

[Kingspoint]

https://deadspin.com/bally-sports-si...oon-1850039587

There would have been a lot to pay off if the Bengals had won the Super Bowl.

[Ron Madden]

MLB forms economic group as regional TV in peril

Concerned about a possible bankruptcy for the company that owns local broadcasting rights to 14 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, the league has formed a new economic study committee that will gather next week at the owners’ meetings in Palm Beach, Florida.

The existence of the committee was disclosed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

The committee also will examine revenue disparity among MLB clubs.

Los Angeles Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and Detroit Tigers chairman Chris Ilitch are among the committee members, the person said.

Baseball executives have said in recent weeks that the sport needs to prepare in the event that rights-fee payments are not made by Diamond Sports Group, the subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group that operates networks under the name Bally Sports. Cable networks have lost subscribers and revenue in recent years due to cord-cutting.


This offseason, salaries have risen following last year’s agreement on a five-year labor contract with the players’ association. And payrolls rose 12.6% to a $4.56 billion last year, breaking the previous record set in 2017, and are set to go even higher this year. The New York Mets, entering their third season under owner Steve Cohen, c


MLB’s newest study committee follows a pair in the past quarter-century. One was a joint management-union committee that began after the 1990 lockout and recommended in 1992 to eliminate salary arbitration and make players be eligible for free agency after three years instead of six while rejecting management’s suggestion of a salary cap.

The other was a committee that met in 1999 and 2000, recommending higher luxury tax rates, sharing 40-50% of local revenues after ballpark expenses and unequal distribution of new national broadcasting, licensing and internet revenue to assist low-revenue clubs that met a payroll minimum.

https://www.ctpost.com/sports/articl...l-17762447.php

[GAC]

Kinda jerks my chain that they got control of the RSNs and then ripped them off streaming, really screwed over a lot of sports fans - and now they're possibly facing bankruptcy?? Someone explain how I should have any sympathy for them again? I don't. One of the reasons why I have become so disheartened with the game is decreased (limited channels of) access to watch games, and MLB (Manfred's) disinterest/lack of concern when it comes to the fans.

It's simply the continuing battles over who gets the bigger pieces of the pie. A pie that is made on the backs of their fans, and it's a burden that's getting heavier and heavier. Crazy.

[KYExtemper]

All I know is this bankruptcy couldn't happen to a better company. Just hope something better comes out of this.

[westofyou]

Kinda jerks my chain that they got control of the RSNs and then ripped them off streaming, really screwed over a lot of sports fans - and now they're possibly facing bankruptcy?? Someone explain how I should have any sympathy for them again? I don't. One of the reasons why I have become so disheartened with the game is decreased (limited channels of) access to watch games, and MLB (Manfred's) disinterest/lack of concern when it comes to the fans.

It's simply the continuing battles over who gets the bigger pieces of the pie. A pie that is made on the backs of their fans, and it's a burden that's getting heavier and heavier. Crazy.

The game hasn't limited the channels as much as many of the networks just got out of the business of broadcasting a sport that plays every day. Which makes finding a home for the game a harder thing to lock down long term

Back in the day you might get 10 home games on TV and all the road games. Once cable hit and the plethora of stations appeared the networks realized they made more ad money sticking to a straight schedule and only broadcasting "special event" sporting events. There are too many baseball games for a network to only broadcast a few, the cost in labor to broadcast goes down when you have a set schedule on a network designed to deliver the same thing (sports)

The same thing happened with MLB radio before TV, it was mess and the sport always is conservative and slow to keep up with technology changes. This however is ending so we shall see what happens next, it likely frees up viewership more than locks it down