Diamond Sports Group Publishes Letter Blaming Comcast for Carriage Dispute; Comcast Says 70% of Viewers Didn’t Watch
A public back-and-forth between the two companies could be a sign that a deal is a long ways off.
There’s no end in sight in the carriage dispute between Comcast and Diamond Sports Group. On the last day of April, the deal between the two sides that allowed Comcast to offer Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) for its Xfinity TV customers expired, causing Comcast to pull the channels from its airwaves. Now, both sides are pointing fingers. This week Diamond issued a letter to the public castigating Comcast, and calling on Xfinity customers to lobby the company to return to the negotiating table.
Key Details:
- Diamond says it wants to prevent Comcast from putting Bally Sports RSNs from being put on a higher-priced tier of Xfinity TV.
- Comcast says that 70% of customers don’t watch Bally Sports channels with their current plan, and wants to avoid making those customers pay for the networks.
- The Comcast carriage deal is a crucial part of Diamond’s bankruptcy reorganization plan.
The open letter published by Diamond does its best to convince fans that the fault for their no longer being able to watch Bally Sports channels on Xfinity TV lies exclusively with Comcast. Specifically, the appeal to viewers cites Comcast’s desire to house Bally Sports channels on a more expensive TV tier.
“Xfinity’s current proposal will immediately put Bally Sports on a tier requiring you to pay more to see your favorite teams,” the letter says. “This matter is not an attempt to ask Xfinity for more money. In fact, we are just asking them to accept market terms, similar to what Charter Spectrum, Cox Communications, DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM all did just last month.”
Related: Comcast, Diamond Sports Contract Expires Tonight; Where to Watch Bally Sports Channels if Your Cable Drops Your Team?
The company does have a point, in that it was able to reach a deal with DIRECTV as well Xfinity’s largest cable rival Charter Communications in April. However, this argument also works against Diamond, in that both companies currently house Bally Sports RSNs on higher-priced plans than their base packages, just as Xfinity wants to do.
For its part, Comcast says that Diamond refused to extend their former arrangement in favor of a new deal, and that the company has tried to negotiate in good faith.
“Nearly 70% of our customers who received [Bally Sports] networks didn’t watch them,” Comcast said in a statement to Front Office Sports. We are moving forward with our plan to proactively credit millions of customers for the costs associated with them. Most will automatically receive $8 to $10 per month in credits.”
Sports teams covered by Bally Sports channels are also weighing in on the dispute. The MLB’s Detroit Tigers are smack-dab in the early portion of their regular season, and a blackout for fans is the last thing the team wanted.
“We are disappointed in the stalled negotiation between Bally Sports Detroit and Comcast, and the inconvenience it may cause for Tigers fans,” the team said according to FOS. “The Tigers have no voice in the matter, but are hopeful the two sides will come to an agreement as soon as possible.”
How Badly Does Diamond Need Comcast Carriage Deal?
As the largest current cable channel distributor in the United States, Comcast has some leverage in negotiations with Diamond. Comcast, Charter, and DIRECTV make up 81% of Diamond’s total viewing audience, so getting a new deal done would be a priority for Diamond even if it were in good financial standing.
But the RSN owner is far from healthy when it comes to finances these days. Diamond entered Chapter 11 protections in March 2023, and its bankruptcy proceedings have continued until now. Diamond is due back in court on June 18 for a confirmation hearing, and if it does not have a deal with Comcast wrapped up by then, it could have trouble winning approval for its reorganization plan from creditors.
Reaching a new carriage deal with Comcast is highly important for Diamond, which is why it appealed directly to viewers to help it lobby Comcast for what it would consider to be a fair deal.
“Raise your voices, let Xfinity know you want your teams back on the air,” Diamond’s letter says. “Tell them to do right by the fans. After all, you are the ones who pay to make it happen. Your opinion matters.”
Bally Sports+
Bally Sports+ is a direct-to-consumer streaming service that offers live games for those who want access to their local Bally Sports RSN without subscribing to a cable or satellite package.