MLB takes over broadcast of Diamondbacks games from Diamond Sports
Major League Baseball will take over broadcasts of Arizona Diamondbacks games after a federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday granted a motion for Diamond Sports to reject its rights agreement
Major League Baseball will take over broadcasts of Arizona Diamondbacks games after a federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday granted a motion for Diamond Sports to reject its rights agreement.
MLB will take over production of the broadcasts beginning with Tuesday's game at Atlanta. The Diamondbacks are the second team where MLB has had to step in to deliver the games.
MLB took over the broadcasts of San Diego Padres games May 31 after Diamond Sports missed a rights fees payment and let the grace period expire. The league 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.
Bally Sports Arizona 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.
“Given the inability to reach an agreement with the Diamondbacks and MLB, we have rejected that rights contract, which had financial terms that were not aligned with Diamond’s long-term plans," Diamond Sports Group said in a statement. «We value the relationships we have built with the Diamondbacks and their passionate fans, and we wish them the best going forward.
“We are
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