The Detroit News’s Tony Paul reports that we’re stuck with Bally Sports Detroit for at least another season’s worth of Red Wings hockey:
Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of the Bally Sports stable of regional sports networks, has reached an agreement to continue broadcasting more than 20 NHL and NBA teams on linear television through the 2024-25 seasons in a move that is considered a critical development as the company looks to emerge from bankruptcy court.
The agreement includes the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons, which will continue to have their games air on Bally Sports Detroit and through the Bally Sports-Plus app.
The agreement was announced Friday and confirmed by Bally Sports Detroit.
“We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” David Preschlack, CEO of the Diamond Sports Group, said in a statement. “These new agreements that cover NBA and NHL linear and DTC (direct-to-consumer) rights are another major milestone and continue Diamond’s momentum toward emergence (from bankruptcy), which will enable us to provide value for our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve dedicated local NBA, NHL and MLB fans.
“Having completed negotiations with key partners that provide certainty around our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future.
“We appreciate the support of our creditors, we are focused on finalizing our reorganization plan to support our emergence and presenting that plan to the Court in due course.”
Continued; as Mr. Paul reports, Bally is supposed to start streaming games with Amazon in the future, but I’ve still got doubts as to the network’s long-term viability.
