PHILADELPHIA, Penn. – Sports fans looking to watch their favorite teams lost an option to do so overnight Tuesday.
In a social media post, Diamond Sports Group announced that Comcast has rejected a proposed extension to keep Bally Sports regional sports networks on the cable provider.
Diamond Sports Group says Comcast had rejected a proposal to keep their channels on the air as a multi-year agreement is worked on. It says fans can still watch Bally Sports on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Tel Star Communications.
FOX News reports the channels were pulled from Comcast at 12:00 A.M. EDT Wednesday. In its place, an on-screen message from Comcast says Diamond Sports Group was offered multiple options to continue carrying their networks, but declined each one.
Comcast says proactive monthly credits will be issued to affected customers who lost their Bally Sports channel.
For some fans, coverage was cut out during intense game action. Fans of the Nashville Predators saw the dispute begin at 11:00 P.M. local time, during the 3rd period of its 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5 of its Stanley Cup Playoffs first round series.
Diamond Sports Group last month pursued a restructuring plan out of bankruptcy that would eliminate more than $8 billion in debt, along with additional funding from Amazon as part of a streaming deal signed in January.
The group was also working on longer-term deals with cable companies, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association.
The Peoria-area is not immune to the dispute, as Comcast carried Bally Sports Midwest in central Illinois. The channel carried games for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues.
Comments