Another Battle Looming over Atlanta Braves TV Rights

The Atlanta Braves have been caught in the middle of a surprise decision involving their television broadcasts. 

According to the Athletic’s Evan Drellich, Diamond Sports Group (DSG), the owners of the Bally Sports regional sports channels, said in bankruptcy court that they only plan to continue carrying the Braves and no other MLB teams. 

The other 11 teams with DSG, eight of which are still under contract, would either have to negotiate a new contract with DSG or find a new carrier. 

No reason was reported for why the Braves were chosen over other teams.

MLB’s lawyer Jim Bromley said the league was caught off guard by this decision. It’s the first time they have heard of this plan. 

"We have no information about what is being done," Bromley said. "We've had no opportunity to review and now we're in front of the court and being asked to make our comments."

The Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins had their games carried on Bally Sports on a one-year contract for 2024. 

The remaining teams under contract, besides the Braves, are the Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres previously carried games on Bally Sports. They have since moved to an MLB-operated broadcast.

In theory, they would have to continue to broadcast these teams because they are under contract. However, Drellich added that because Diamond Sports Group is in bankruptcy court and can “assume or reject” contracts as part of the process. 

This is a continuation of a broadcasting mess that has made it hard for Braves fans to watch the games. Xfinity/Comcast dropped the Bally Sports channels over the summer due to a contract dispute with DSG. The TV provider went without the channels from May 1 to Aug. 1. Bally Sports channels are also not available on YouTube TV or Hulu.

The broadcasting rights on the local RSN are also behind the blackouts for local MLB TV streamers. The Diamondbacks and Padres are the exception having moved to the MLB-operated broadcasts.

For those hoping the Braves would be free of the RSN, it's not looking great. They're staying on Bally Sports for 2025 - at least for now. This is barring any changes in response to this decision.

DSG filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in March 2023 to settle over $8 billion in debt. The debt originates from its owners, Sinclair Broadcast Group, purchasing regional sports networks from Disney following its acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox in 2019. 

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

Bally Sports also carries the broadcasts for teams in the NBA, including the Atlanta Hawks, and the NHL.