Cincinnati Reds Ready to Take Over Broadcasts of Games Saturday if Diamond Sports Doesn’t Pay
Even with a record of 12-17 (as of the time of this writing), the Cincinnati Reds are becoming must-watch baseball this week. Sadly for fans, that has little to do with the team’s play on the field; rather, it’s because of the situation surrounding the team’s broadcast rights.
Reds’ games have heretofore been broadcast on the Bally Sports Ohio regional sports network (RSN) this season. But the channel’s parent company Diamond Sports Group (DSG) missed its rights payment to the Reds in mid-April, setting off a 15 day grace period that ends this Friday, May 5. If DSG does not make the payment by then, the Reds have a handshake agreement with both DIRECTV and Charter Communications to distribute games on a different channel going forward.
The Reds’ case is different from that of other teams, like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, and Minnesota Twins. Those four teams are also owed money by DSG, but they’re wrapped up in bankruptcy court proceedings with the company. Recently, the judge in the case ruled that DSG can pay half of what it owes to those clubs while it attempts to restructure its debt. But because the Reds own part of Bally Sports Ohio, the team is not subject to the judge’s ruling and can execute its plan to reclaim its broadcast rights after the 15-day grace period ends this week.
That puts all eyes on Saturday, May 6 when the Reds face the Chicago White Sox, as Friday’s game will be televised nationally on Apple TV+. Sources have confirmed to Next TV that if DSG does not make the payment by Friday, the Reds will move forward with a plan to start a new RSN of its own. The chance remains, however, that DSG will make its payment before then, if for no other reason than thwarting MLB’s efforts to reclaim any of its broadcast rights.
Diamond officially declared bankruptcy on March 14, and has since been working through its plans to restructure its more than $8 billion in debt and meet at least some of its financial obligations to teams. Baseball executives have been eager to reclaim the broadcast rights to the 14 teams DSG currently holds, as the league is firmly convinced by now that distribution of its games via RSNs is no longer a sustainable model.
Teams in other leagues are coming to that conclusion, as well. Last week, it was reported that the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury had reached a deal that would pull their games off Bally Sports Arizona and put them on local broadcast channels. Diamond has objected to that agreement, and now the case is likely to be settled in bankruptcy court, much like the company’s disputes with MLB.
All eyes in the sports media landscape will be turned toward the Ohio River this week, as Friday inches closer. There is intrigue and drama aplenty surrounding the question of whether DSG will pay the Reds or not, but clarity will only come with time. Still, there’s a very decent chance that local Cincinnati fans will wake up to find their baseball team on a completely new channel on Saturday.