Bally/MLB

[sdaddy]

Looks like Bally is cashing out of the MLB game.

From Evan Drellich/X
Embattled broadcaster Diamond Sports Group says in 2025 it will stop carrying all but one of the 12 MLB teams it now televises, and those other clubs will either need to renegotiate new contracts with Diamond or find another option elsewhere.
Atlanta is the lone survivor.

[A1B1C1D1]

With Illitch owning both, my pipe dream is him starting his own network like the Yankees, renaming it PASS with those old school fat logo microphones (which always worked great for isolating noise), fat logoed polyester blazers and charging a low enough rate to make cable and streaming carry it regionally while pocketing all the casino, lawyer and car dealership ads. My opinion is just replay, replay, replay instead of buying programing few watch and can find elsewhere. And yes they would have to drop the solo unlimited streaming to force people to subscribe to cable, or stream games at a price ($6) per game that keeps the cable companies from complaining. And of course they would sell to ESPN+ for out of market.

Netflix can make more money charging less with advertisements. Disney is losing money on streaming so I don't know about them as they do the same.

Edit: And with the Pistons current owner not knowing diddly about the game, he might be easy to sign on keeping the trifecta intact.

[ecsuser]

And while he's at it - include harness racing from Hazel Park ................. oh wait.

[80sTalkRadioFan]

Pass was great, but even they dropped the Pay Per View game broadcasts eventually. Didn't Post-Newsweek own PASS near the end of their run? I remember seeing a lot of WDIV promos on PASS. Maybe WDIV/Graham Media would like a piece of the new PASS pie. Something nostalgic about watching Detroit Tigers games on channel 4 again.

[ftballfan]

If the Tigers were to go OTA, they'd have to find stations in the following markets in addition to Detroit:
Alpena
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City
Fort Wayne (Bally/Fox Sports Detroit was carried in Fort Wayne proper at one point)
Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek
Lansing/Jackson
Marquette
South Bend/Elkhart (Bally Detroit is the only RSN carried in the two MI counties that are part of this market)
Toledo
Traverse City/Cadillac

[edj]

Cord cutters and SW Ontario would be the winners if the Tigers go OTA. I don't see ot happening, perhaps outside of a few games.

[Bull Shannon]

Edit: And with the Pistons current owner not knowing diddly about the game, he might be easy to sign on keeping the trifecta intact.

Gores & Ilitch already have a joint venture, 313 Presents, that handles all of the non-sports live events at all of their respectively owned venues. So in this hypothetical situation of creating their own network, it's not unrealistic at all that Gores would sign onto it so all three teams are part of it.

[Trophyhead]

The pipe dream for Tigers OTA could be met in Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo on 64.8 or 64.9, which sit idle at the moment. I am now acquainted with a 313 Presents exec but won't see him for five weeks, by which time all should be resolved.

[GS3580]

https://www.wxyz.com/sports/bally-sport ... E59lNLPywQ

[Editorcj]

The Illiches will have to decide if it is worth taking less money from Diamond or assuming the risk in starting another network either OTA, cable, streaming or some combination of the three. That network would need to be more profitable than the reduced rate Ballys would be paying them after renegotiation. The easy thing for them to do is bite the bullet and take less money that is a sure thing. Mike Illich would have likely taken the risk and built the network but the children seem much more risk averse. The clock is ticking if any major changes will take place by 2025.

[SolidGoldDancers]

The Illiches will have to decide if it is worth taking less money from Diamond or assuming the risk in starting another network either OTA, cable, streaming or some combination of the three. That network would need to be more profitable than the reduced rate Ballys would be paying them after renegotiation. The easy thing for them to do is bite the bullet and take less money that is a sure thing. Mike Illich would have likely taken the risk and built the network but the children seem much more risk averse. The clock is ticking if any major changes will take place by 2025.

The problem is that professional sports teams have grown accustomed to the largess of being a tax on pay TV. They're not going back to giving away views on OTA. The Wings and Tigers need big pockets and a steady supply of dollars for payroll. Rolling their own network and trying to meet those obligations with only advertising isn't going to cut it.

I suspect they won't renew with Bally's, but will sign distribution with Amazon or Youtube TV as both are looking to secure a leading position in the live TV segment.

Good riddance to Diamond Sports and their year 2000 knock-off of ESPN, absolutely horrible production. The only way it could get worse is to bring in Smilovitz.