<img alt="MLB: Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YnQBxHcMmT20W7EZTSvB1lhE__A=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73626818/usa_today_23931199.0.jpg">
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
A murky TV situation gets murkier. As you may have heard, there is a sticky ongoing dispute between Major League Baseball and Diamond Sports, which operates the Bally Sports network of regional sports channels, including the Atlanta Braves. On Wednesday, it appears Diamond Sports threw the league offices a curveball. Here’s the latest from Evan Drellich of The Athletic:
BREAKING: Diamond says in court it plans to continue broadcasting one — just one — of the remaining teams it has with MLB: the Atlanta Braves.The 11 other MLB teams (and 9 still under contract) with Diamond will either have to negotiate a new deal w/Diamond — or go elsewhere.— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
Drellich added additional background:
Diamond carried 12 MLB teams in 2024. Three — Cleveland, Texas and Minnesota — were on 1-year deals.But 9 other teams were under contract for 2025: Anaheim, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Tampa Bay.Diamond only wants Atlanta.— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
And clearly, Major League Baseball’s attorneys were thrown a curveball and not expecting the most recent proposal:
MLB's lawyer in court says this is the first MLB is hearing of this plan. "We have no information about what is being done," Jim Bromley, lawyer for MLB, said. "We've had no opportunity to review and now we're in front of the court and being asked to make our comments."— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
So, yeah, it’s a tad sticky.
As a refresher, Diamond Sports filed bankruptcy in March 2023. The company, which broadcasts thousands of MLB, NBA and NHL games annually across the country, was tasked with creating a reorganization strategy for the teams and markets it serves. Diamond is now in the midst of a lengthy court battle with the league offices, and the future is, as outlined in court today, unclear.
What does this mean for the Braves moving forward? At this point, we don’t know. Drellich added that MLB attorney Jim Browley said MLB was just “sandbagged” by Diamond’s proposal. It’s going to be a couple of ugly weeks and months in court, it appears.
Some clubs who were formerly with Bally, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, switched to an in-house television and streaming service in 2023 (called Diamondbacks TV) that was hosted by Major League Baseball. It was available without blackouts in the Phoenix metro area and beyond, and local viewership skyrocketed. It was great for fans, although the impact on Arizona’s budget was likely felt in the front office. The Braves could also partner with one of the existing sports networks, which doesn’t necessarily seem likely given the current cable market.
We shall see, but it is clear — based on Diamond’s proposal today — that the Braves are still a highly desirable team from a television perspective.
<img alt="MLB: Milwaukee Brewers at Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YnQBxHcMmT20W7EZTSvB1lhE__A=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73626818/usa_today_23931199.0.jpg">
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
A murky TV situation gets murkier. As you may have heard, there is a sticky ongoing dispute between Major League Baseball and Diamond Sports, which operates the Bally Sports network of regional sports channels, including the Atlanta Braves. On Wednesday, it appears Diamond Sports threw the league offices a curveball. Here’s the latest from Evan Drellich of The Athletic:
BREAKING: Diamond says in court it plans to continue broadcasting one — just one — of the remaining teams it has with MLB: the Atlanta Braves.The 11 other MLB teams (and 9 still under contract) with Diamond will either have to negotiate a new deal w/Diamond — or go elsewhere.— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
Drellich added additional background:
Diamond carried 12 MLB teams in 2024. Three — Cleveland, Texas and Minnesota — were on 1-year deals.But 9 other teams were under contract for 2025: Anaheim, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Tampa Bay.Diamond only wants Atlanta.— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
And clearly, Major League Baseball’s attorneys were thrown a curveball and not expecting the most recent proposal:
MLB's lawyer in court says this is the first MLB is hearing of this plan. "We have no information about what is being done," Jim Bromley, lawyer for MLB, said. "We've had no opportunity to review and now we're in front of the court and being asked to make our comments."— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
So, yeah, it’s a tad sticky.
As a refresher, Diamond Sports filed bankruptcy in March 2023. The company, which broadcasts thousands of MLB, NBA and NHL games annually across the country, was tasked with creating a reorganization strategy for the teams and markets it serves. Diamond is now in the midst of a lengthy court battle with the league offices, and the future is, as outlined in court today, unclear.
What does this mean for the Braves moving forward? At this point, we don’t know. Drellich added that MLB attorney Jim Browley said MLB was just “sandbagged” by Diamond’s proposal. It’s going to be a couple of ugly weeks and months in court, it appears.
Some clubs who were formerly with Bally, such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, switched to an in-house television and streaming service in 2023 (called Diamondbacks TV) that was hosted by Major League Baseball. It was available without blackouts in the Phoenix metro area and beyond, and local viewership skyrocketed. It was great for fans, although the impact on Arizona’s budget was likely felt in the front office. The Braves could also partner with one of the existing sports networks, which doesn’t necessarily seem likely given the current cable market.
We shall see, but it is clear — based on Diamond’s proposal today — that the Braves are still a highly desirable team from a television perspective.
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