How to watch, stream the Arizona Diamondbacks after Bally Sports departure
Jul 18, 2023, 11:17 AM
A Bally Sports sign hangs in a dugout before the start of a spring training baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced Tuesday that, effective immediately, they will no longer broadcast games on Bally Sports Arizona after exiting their television contract with the regional sports network’s operator.
A judge in the Texas Southern Bankruptcy Court ruled in favor of a request by Diamond Sports, Bally Sports Arizona’s operator, to terminate the contract agreement between it and the D-backs.
Major League Baseball will take over television production of the team’s games, starting with a 4:20 p.m. MST game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. It will air live on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 HD-2 and ESPN 620 AM.
MLB already took over broadcast production of the San Diego Padres, making the Diamondbacks the second team to depart the Bally Sports regional networks.
So how can D-backs fans catch the team as it carries on into the second half of the MLB schedule?
How can fans watch the Diamondbacks on TV, via stream?
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COX cable subscribers in the Phoenix area: Yurview channel 4
COX cable subscribers in the Tucson area: Yurview channel 7
DirecTV: Channel 686-3
Spectrum: Channel 304
Comcast xfinity: Channel 1261
Fubo
DirecTV stream
MLB.TV streaming: $19.99 per month, subject to national exclusivities (free seven-day trial)
For a full list of TV providers, visit Dbacks.com/watch.
What’s the background of the bankruptcy of Bally Sports Arizona’s parent company?
MLB took over the broadcasts of Padres games May 31 after Diamond Sports missed a rights fees payment and let the grace period expire. MLB set up a local media department during the offseason to prepare for a bankruptcy filing by Diamond Sports, which took place in March.
Diamond Sports, which owns 19 regional sports networks under the Bally Sports banner, determined its contract with the Diamondbacks was not profitable. It had a large rights payment due on July 1, but both sides tried to negotiate an amended agreement.
Diamond paid the Diamondbacks on a per-game basis for any games played after July 1.
Diamond Sports has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Texas since March. The company said in a financial filing last fall that it had debt of $8.67 billion.
The Diamondbacks signed a 20-year, $1.5 billion contract with Fox Sports Networks in 2015. Diamond Sports Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. for nearly $10 billion in 2019. Disney was required by the Department of Justice to sell the networks for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets to be approved.
Diamond Sports said in last week’s filing that it loses significant amounts of money under the agreement with the Diamondbacks and that the deal “no longer fits” within its long-term plans.
What Phoenix-area teams still air on Bally Sports Arizona?
With the Diamondbacks off Bally Sports, Diamond has the rights to 38 professional teams — 12 baseball, 14 NBA and 12 NHL.
The Arizona Coyotes remain the only team on Bally Sports Arizona. The network did not exercise its right of first refusal to renew its deal with the Phoenix Suns, who are moving their games to local television and a streaming service.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
