The onset of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is just weeks away, and the recent bankruptcy of Bally Sports has created a significant complication for not only the fans but also the league itself. This unforeseen development has thrown a wrench into the plans that were in place for the upcoming season, requiring a rapid reassessment of the situation and the creation of contingency plans. The league must now quickly devise solutions to ensure that the games can still be broadcast to in-market viewers and that fans have access to their favorite teams. In essence, the situation underscores the precarious nature of the media landscape and the importance of adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges.
Bally Sports currently carries the broadcasting rights to 14 Major League Baseball including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Texas Rangers. The issues with Bally Sports are also affecting the NBA and NHL as well. Now of course the focus of this article will be how it will affect your beloved Kanas City Royals. Kansas City fans can bet on the Royals and more by using BetMGM bonus codes when signing up.
Source: forbes.com
What exactly happened with Bally Sports?
Many might be asking what happened with Bally Sports. The general gist of the matter is that Diamond Sports Group which owns Bally Sports had a $140 million payment due in February which was not paid. Additionally, in March, Diamond Sports Group announced that they were declaring Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
With the bankruptcy declaration, the MLB’s 14 teams whose broadcasting rights are with Bally now are left in the dark about how their games will be televised going forward.
Source: dallasnews.com
The good news. MLB has a plan
For those who are followers of the Kansas City Royals and other teams with broadcast rights under Bally Sports, there is some positive news on the horizon. Major League Baseball (MLB) has a strategy in place to tackle this issue. This is not the first time that the league has faced this predicament, as it was already apparent several months ago. It appears that the MLB has been working behind the scenes to create backup plans just in case the bankruptcy came to fruition. The MLB’s foresight and planning in this regard should provide a degree of comfort to concerned fans.
Looking ahead, it seems likely that the MLB will stablish its own dedicated group to handle game production and distribution to local networks. The primary aim of this would be to ensure that in-market viewers have access to games involving their respective teams. By setting up this group, the MLB can take greater control over the broadcasting process and potentially minimize any disruption caused by the bankruptcy of Bally Sports’ parent company. Such a move would require significant resources and planning, but it could ultimately prove to be a savvy strategic decision for the league.
Back in February in an interview with ESPN, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about this very topic.
“In the event that MLB stepped in, what we would do is we would produce the games, we would make use of our asset, the MLB Network, to do that,” Manfred said in the interview. “We would go directly to distributors — meaning Comcast, Charter, the big distributors — and make an agreement to have those games distributed on cable networks.”
Now of course it won’t be that easy, the MLB would still need to negotiate interview prices with each distributor that they come to a deal with in order for each organization’s games to be properly televised. With the bankruptcy and distribution issues also come questions about blackouts and how it will affect the markets affected by the bankruptcy. Will fans in affected markets be able to watch local teams via MLB.TV and not be blacked out? That remains to be seen but the one thing at is certain at this point is that MLB is in a race against time to figure out how to get televised baseball in each of these 14 markets.
There is also of course, the chance that Major League Baseball also allows Bally Sports to continue to broadcast the games until further notice but could potentially take away Bally Sports’ sole rights to the broadcast rights of each of the 14 teams, allowing the league to sell games to other networks or streaming services as well.
Source: wearegameplan.com
Although a solution to the current problem seems to be on the horizon, it is worth noting that it is likely to be a temporary fix that will prompt further queries in the future. The truth is that with the ever-growing trend of cord-cutting and the diminishing profitability of cable television, there is a possibility that more obstacles like this will crop up in the future. As the media landscape continues to evolve and change, it is conceivable that traditional broadcasting models may no longer be sustainable or feasible, and new methods of delivering content to consumers may need to be explored. The industry as a whole will need to adapt and find innovative solutions to these challenges.
The upshot for fans of the Kansas City Royals is that they can look forward to watching their team play this season, and the likelihood is that it will be at no extra cost to them. It seems improbable that the MLB would want fans to pay an additional fee to watch their local teams, given that the costs of cable packages are already impacted by networks such as Bally Sports. The outstanding question, however, is where fans will be able to catch the games. Will they be available on local television services or via streaming platforms, or perhaps a combination of both? At this point, it is difficult to say. Nonetheless, with MLB’s Opening Day scheduled for March 30, a decision on this matter is imminent. It is safe to assume that the league is working tirelessly to ensure that fans have access to their beloved team and acan enjoy watching them compete this season.
