The Detroit News’s Tony Paul reports that the Detroit Tigers will be on XFinity/Comcast again–as will the Detroit Red Wings this fall, presuming that Bally Sports Detroit still exists at that time:
Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, and Comcast, the parent company of cable giant Xfinity, announced they have reached a deal to reinstate the 15 RSNs, including Bally Sports Detroit, starting Thursday.
The deal ends a three-month stalemate, after the RSNs were booted from Xfinity’s offerings May 1.
Under the new deal, however, the RSNs only will be available on Xfinity’s “Ultimate TV” package, or an upper tier. That was Xfinity’s drawn line in the sand when negotiations originally broke down, with company officials arguing it was unfair for a hefty monthly carriage fee to be passed down to all basic-cable customers, the majority of whom don’t watch the RSNs.
Xfinity announced Monday it would offer its basic-cable subscribers access to the “Ultimate TV” package for three months at no additional cost.
“We appreciate Diamond Sports working with us to reach a solution that returns the Bally Sports RSNs to our Ultimate TV customers in a way that reflects the changing video marketplace for local sports,” Greg Rigdon, president of content acquisition for Comcast, said in a statement late Monday afternoon.
“We look forward to making these networks available on Aug. 1, so customers can enjoy watching their favorite teams again.”
Continued (paywall); here’s more from the Free Press’s Andrew Birkle:
According to a press release on Business Wire, subscribers to Xfinity’s Ultimate TV package will now get to watch the MLB, NHL and NBA games that air on Bally Sports and will also be able to use their Xfinity credentials to watch through the Bally Sports app.
“Entering a new carriage agreement with Comcast, our third largest distributor, is a critical step forward in our restructuring effort, and we are pleased that fans will again be able to access broadcasts of their local teams through Xfinity,” David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports said in a statement. “With certainty on our distribution, we are focused on finalizing an agreement with the NHL and resolving our ongoing negotiations with the NBA. We are mindful that time is of the essence with basketball and hockey seasons fast approaching, and once agreements with our team and league partners are complete, we intend to move expeditiously to present a plan of reorganization to the Court.”
