It’s not a secret to anyone that Diamond Sports Group has had better times.
The operators of the Bally Sports networks – which manage broadcasts for several major league teams including the Cleveland Guardians – have flirted with bankruptcy for quite some time now.
Diamond’s ongoing bankruptcy has now affected two more franchises: the Guardians and the reigning World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, ahead of 2024.
“The Guardians’ and Rangers’ TV deals could be dropped by Diamond Sports Group,” The Athletic MLB tweeted.
The Guardians' and Rangers' TV deals could be dropped by Diamond Sports Group.
Details ⤵️https://t.co/0CKhvGgZiW
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) November 16, 2023
Diamond Sports Group already dropped the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 season.
The league took over broadcasting for those two teams, but to this day, it’s unclear if they will do the same with the Guardians and Rangers or if they will try to seek other alternatives.
This could put the Guards and the Rangers in trouble, as they would have to scramble to find new agreements to show their baseball games to their local markets.
There is a chance that both organizations reach new agreements with other regional sports networks during the offseason.
While the situation is certainly not ideal, it isn’t unexpected.
“Our intention is to broadcast almost all of (our) Major League Baseball teams next year,” Diamond said through one of its attorneys, per MLB Trade Rumors.
“There are a few, a very few, for which we do not have agreements in place. And that, frankly, at this point, are too expensive for us to broadcast without concessions. I am told that those discussions are taking place, there have been reach-outs to both of the teams involved.”
The Bally Sports network has broadcasting deals with a total of 11 MLB organizations.
The situation has Guardians fans in Cleveland worried about their chances of watching the team.
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