Cincinnati Reds to Remain on Bally Sports Ohio After Receiving Broadcast Rights Payment From Diamond Sports Group

July 15 has come and gone, and the Cincinnati Reds are still available on Bally Sports Ohio. The Reds had been due a broadcasting rights payment by Bally Sports’ parent company Diamond Sports Group (DSG) on the 15th, and ESPN baseball reporter Alden Gonzalez Tweeted late last week that the company expected to make its payment on time.

Source: Diamond Sports Group plans to make its next scheduled payment to the Reds and will thus keep them as part of the Bally Sports umbrella for the foreseeable future.

Diamond faced a July 15 deadline, with non-payments expected to result in MLB taking over (like w/ Padres).

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) July 14, 2023

The Reds have been one of the surprises in Major League Baseball this year, so it’s a good move ratings-wise for DSG to keep the team’s games. Expected to be more of an also-ran by baseball experts, the team has already compiled 50 wins, and is firmly in the mix to compete for the NL Central title or one of the wild card spots in the second half of the season.

DSG entered bankruptcy court in March, leading to an anxious summer for MLB officials. When the season began, Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) carried 14 MLB clubs, but stated early in the process that it was prepared to surrender broadcast contracts with teams that cost Diamond more than it made back.

So far, only one team has actually departed from the Bally Sports family of channels: the San Diego Padres. They left Bally Sports San Diego in late May in favor of league-run broadcasts, and though MLB has been anxious to pull back all of its broadcasting rights from Diamond, its hope that other teams like the Minnesota Twins would soon follow have been frustrated thus far.

There could be another MLB club joining that so-far short list this week in the Arizona Diamondbacks. DSG had petitioned to be released from its contract with the Diamondbacks in late June, but reversed itself and postponed the contract hearing until Monday, July 17 after positive talks with the team yielded optimism that the two sides could reach a new deal.

Negotiations have progressed to the point where details about the new potential agreement have leaked, which include a big discount for DSG in addition to the acquisition of the Diamondbacks’ streaming rights. That could mean the team’s games end up on Bally Sports+ soon, though MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has promised to exercise his veto power over the deal if it goes through.

There will almost certainly be more updates on this saga soon, as the Diamondbacks and DSG are due in court on Monday. After that, the team owes another payment to the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 1, but as with the Reds, there has been no indication from the company that it will skip that installment.