MLB Officially Takes Over Production, Distribution of D-backs Games After DSG Walks Away From Rights Deal
MLB will take over production duties for tonight's D-backs/Braves game
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Major League Baseball will take over production and distribution of all Arizona Diamondbacks locally distributed games starting today, after a bankruptcy court judge approved Diamond Sports Group’s rejection of its contract on Tuesday. As a result of the decision, DSG’s Bally Sports Arizona will hand over live-production responsibilities to the league, beginning with the Diamondbacks’ matchup against the Atlanta Braves tonight at 7:20 p.m. ET.
The move comes just days after the Phoenix Suns announced they would be leaving Bally Sports Arizona and move forward with their previously announced free-TV broadcast deal. The RSN also currently holds the rights to the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.
The new arrangement, which gives fans the option to watch on television or stream digitally, expands the availability of Diamondbacks games from approximately 930,000 homes to approximately 5.6 million homes in the Diamondbacks Home Television Territory – a 506% jump in reach. Games are available to watch on Cox, DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Mediacom, Orbitel, Optimum/Suddenlink, Spectrum/Charter, TDS, Xfinity/Comcast. MLB.TV.
“As Major League Baseball has proven with the Padres, we’re ready to produce and distribute games to fans, including Diamondbacks games starting today,” says Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer. “While we’re disappointed that Diamond Sports Group failed to live up to their contractual agreement with another Club, we are taking this opportunity to reimagine the distribution model, remove blackouts on local games, improve the telecast, and expand the reach of Diamondbacks games by 4.7 million homes.”
As a result of the new arrangement, Diamondbacks fans can now obtain a new direct-to-consumer streaming subscription for $19.99 per month or $54.99 for the rest of the season by registering at MLB.TV. This offer is only for Diamondbacks fans in the Club’s Home Television Territory and is a separate service than the MLB.TV out of market package. By offering a direct-to-consumer streaming option on MLB.TV in the Club’s territory for the first time, MLB is able to lift the blackout for Diamondbacks games previously distributed on Bally Sports Arizona. Fans can also find more information about the availability of Diamondbacks games at dbacks.com/watch.
To make the transition as convenient as possible for fans, Diamondbacks games played through Sunday, July 23 will be available for free with MLB login at MLB.com, Dbacks.com and in the MLB apps on mobile and connected devices. The six games covered will include the Braves series as well as a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Today’s developments mark the second team for which MLB has taken over production and distribution from DSG/Bally Sports, following the San Diego Padres on May 31. As of the All-Star break, Padres games were watched by 578,000 unique people since MLB took over production and distribution. That is +14% higher than last year’s same time period (507,000 unique people) and +9.5% (528,000) over the month in ’23 before MLB took over.
In a statement DSG said, “We are continuing to broadcast games for all other teams under contract without disruption and we anticipate making all rights payments to the remainder of the MLB teams in our portfolio through the end of this season.”
With Bally Sports Arizona out, MLB Local Media will lead the D-Backs productions moving forward. The Diamondbacks primary TV broadcasters Steve Berthiaume and Bob Brenly will continue to serve in their existing roles.
“Through the power of Major League Baseball and the Diamondbacks, we are working to elevate the game broadcast experience for all Diamondbacks fans,” says Billy Chambers, MLB Executive Vice President, Local Media. “As we have done with the Padres, we will apply new technology, deliver better picture quality and work towards increasing access to better tell the story of the Diamondbacks each and every night.”
“This decision provides us with an opportunity to partner with Major League Baseball to produce high quality broadcasts of D-backs games on current platforms, expand access to include streaming options, and remove local blackouts that have been a fan frustration point for years,” says D-backs President, CEO, and General Partner Derrick Hall. “We have enjoyed our partnership with Bally Sports Arizona and thank them for the longtime partnership. But we look forward to providing unprecedented access to our exciting team moving forward, including a greatly expanded reach of new households.”
