Comcast has blacked out 15 Bally Sports networks across the U.S., impacting not just Atlanta, but MLB teams in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, K.C., L.A., Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, St. Louis, Tampa and the Texas Rangers Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
When Bally Sports channels
disappeared from the TVs of Comcast Xfinity subscribers last week due to the expiration of their carriage agreement, the decision “left a lot of fans frustrated,” according to Michael Rand of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The “sticking point” in negotiations is that Comcast -- the second-largest cable provider in the U.S. -- “wants to put Bally Sports on a higher-priced tier,” while Bally owner Diamond Sports has “balked at that.” Bally Sports North GM Randy Stephens said that Comcast's stance is “not in line with recent deals between Diamond and other cable and satellite carriers.” Stephens said all they are “trying to do here is is get them to agree to I think what others in their position have agreed are commercially reasonable terms.” Rand noted there has “been a clear shift in strategy this week.” Diamond has been “sending correspondence to fans explaining its side of negotiations with Comcast and urging them to put pressure on Comcast.” Even making Stephens available for an interview “represented a change in approach.” Other providers have had pricing disputes and dropped Bally channels in the past. But Stephens noted that Comcast “felt different to me than a smaller streaming service like Hulu or YouTube TV.” Stephens: "If it's surprising, it's only surprising because they've been such good partners over the years in distributing this content to the to the fans" (
Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/9).
WHAT DO WE DO? YAHOO SPORTS’s Dan Wetzel wrote the impasse leaves “hardcore fans frustrated” and teams in “somewhat of a panic.” While some people will “follow along via radio, find a streaming offering or wait out the carriage/subscription fee battle,” how many “others either are finding something else to do, not paying any attention or never becoming a fan in the first place?” RSNs and cable television “have been great to local sports franchises.” It is the “night-in, night-out regular-season action that has fueled professional sports growth for generations.” But as modern media “becomes more niche driven, teams and even leagues have to balance whether to seek maximum profits or maximum exposure.” Wetzel asked, “Do you want a lot of money via subscriptions or streaming premiums? Or do you want a lot of fans via easy access and widespread distribution?” The “old way was a great way but it can’t be the new way,” leaving teams “seeking fans and fans seeking teams stuck in the middle like never before” (
YAHOO SPORTS, 5/9).
