Another battle looms for Atlanta Braves TV rights

The Atlanta Braves were caught in the middle of a surprise decision regarding their television broadcasts.

According to Evan Drellich of the Athletic, Diamond Sports Group (DSG), owner of Bally Sports regional sports channels, has declared in bankruptcy court that it intends to keep the Braves’ current television contract.

When deciding to retain the Braves, DSG opted to abandon the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.

No reason has been reported as to why the Braves were chosen over the Tigers and Rays.

The other Bally Sports teams – the Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals – technically couldn’t be dropped. They are considered “joint venture teams”. There is a different legal situation here.

Drellich added that this would imply that these TV deals would have to be renegotiated.

DSG has already renounced this type of agreement. They returned the rights to the San Diego Padres during the 2023 season.

The Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins continued games with Bally Sports under a one-year deal through 2024. The Rangers will leave Bally Sports starting next season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks also broadcast games on Bally Sports. They have since moved to an MLB-run broadcast.

This is a continuation of a broadcast mess that has made it difficult for Braves fans to watch games. Xfinity/Comcast dropped Bally Sports channels over the summer due to a contract dispute with DSG. The TV provider got rid of the channels from May 1st to August 1st. Bally Sports channels are also not available on YouTube TV or Hulu.

Broadcast rights on local RSN are also causing power outages for local MLB TV streamers. The Diamondbacks and Padres are the exception after migrating to MLB-run broadcasts.

For those hoping the Braves break free from RSN, it doesn’t look great. They remain on Bally Sports for 2025 – at least for now. This excludes any changes in response to this decision.

DSG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023 to settle more than $8 billion in debt. The debt comes from its owners, Sinclair Broadcast Group, which purchased regional sports networks from Disney following its 2019 acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox.

Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast were previously operated under Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast, named when they were owned by Fox Sports Networks (FSN).

Bally Sports also broadcasts broadcasts of NBA teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, and the NHL.

CORRECTION: It was initially reported that Diamond Sports Group was retaining the Braves and dropping remaining MLB teams. This has since been corrected by the original source and updated accordingly here.