In this articleCMCSAFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTA Bally Sports display is shown in the eighth inning of the game between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on April 9, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Astros defeated the Twins 5-1.David Berding | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesComcast customers on Wednesday lost access to Bally Sports’ regional networks a month into MLB’s regular season.Fans of 11 MLB teams, including the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins, lost access to the networks that air local games early Wednesday. With the NBA and NHL postseasons in full swing, fans of teams in those leagues won’t feel the effect until next season if the blackout continues until then.Negotiations between Comcast and Bally Sports’ operator Diamond Sports Group, which has been under bankruptcy protection since last year, broke down following a dispute over terms. Comcast provides cable and internet services under the Xfinity brand.The blackout marks another pain point for the regional sports network business, which has faced pressure as consumers cut pay-TV subscriptions in favor of streaming.MLB teams no longer available to Comcast customersDetroit TigersMiami MarlinsCincinnati RedsSt. Louis CardinalsTampa Bay RaysTexas RangersAtlanta BravesLos Angeles AngelsKansas City RoyalsMinnesota TwinsMilwaukee Brewers*Note: Comcast is not a provider in all of these teams’ markets.A Diamond spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that Comcast “refused to engage in substantive discussions” despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with other distributors.”We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and RSNs play in the media ecosystem,” a Diamond spokesperson said in the statement.Diamond’s agreement with Comcast expired in the fall, but the two companies agreed to a six-month extension at the time. A Comcast spokesperson said in a statement that Diamond had the right to extend the deal by another year, “which they opted not to exercise.””We’d like to continue carrying their networks, but they have declined multiple offers and now we no longer have the rights to this programming,” the statement said. Comcast said it will provide affected customers with $8 to $10 per month in credits.Late Tuesday, Diamond said Comcast “rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air.” The offer would have been open-ended and kept the networks on the air while negotiations continued with the aim of inking a multiyear agreement, a person familiar with the matter said.Conversations broke down primarily over how quickly Comcast could shift the Bally Sports networks into a tiered model, meaning customers would have to opt into packages that include the channels at a higher rate rather than having them …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnIn this articleCMCSAFollow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTA Bally Sports display is shown in the eighth inning of the game between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on April 9, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Astros defeated the Twins 5-1.David Berding | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesComcast customers on Wednesday lost access to Bally Sports’ regional networks a month into MLB’s regular season.Fans of 11 MLB teams, including the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins, lost access to the networks that air local games early Wednesday. With the NBA and NHL postseasons in full swing, fans of teams in those leagues won’t feel the effect until next season if the blackout continues until then.Negotiations between Comcast and Bally Sports’ operator Diamond Sports Group, which has been under bankruptcy protection since last year, broke down following a dispute over terms. Comcast provides cable and internet services under the Xfinity brand.The blackout marks another pain point for the regional sports network business, which has faced pressure as consumers cut pay-TV subscriptions in favor of streaming.MLB teams no longer available to Comcast customersDetroit TigersMiami MarlinsCincinnati RedsSt. Louis CardinalsTampa Bay RaysTexas RangersAtlanta BravesLos Angeles AngelsKansas City RoyalsMinnesota TwinsMilwaukee Brewers*Note: Comcast is not a provider in all of these teams’ markets.A Diamond spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that Comcast “refused to engage in substantive discussions” despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with other distributors.”We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and RSNs play in the media ecosystem,” a Diamond spokesperson said in the statement.Diamond’s agreement with Comcast expired in the fall, but the two companies agreed to a six-month extension at the time. A Comcast spokesperson said in a statement that Diamond had the right to extend the deal by another year, “which they opted not to exercise.””We’d like to continue carrying their networks, but they have declined multiple offers and now we no longer have the rights to this programming,” the statement said. Comcast said it will provide affected customers with $8 to $10 per month in credits.Late Tuesday, Diamond said Comcast “rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air.” The offer would have been open-ended and kept the networks on the air while negotiations continued with the aim of inking a multiyear agreement, a person familiar with the matter said.Conversations broke down primarily over how quickly Comcast could shift the Bally Sports networks into a tiered model, meaning customers would have to opt into packages that include the channels at a higher rate rather than having them …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
