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The Diamond Sports Group’s channels will soon be branded as FanDuel Sports Network.
The Diamond Sports Group, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings, and FanDuel made the announcement Friday. Diamond’s channels had been Bally Sports since baseball’s Opening Day in 2021. The name change will take place Oct. 21.
Financial terms of the deal were not released.
Diamond Sports has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of Texas since it filed for protection in March 2023. The company said in a financial filing last year that it had debt of $8.67 billion.
The Bally Sports regional networks serve as the TV home to eight Major League Baseball teams, eight NHL teams and 13 NBA teams.
One of those teams has been the Cincinnati Reds, who have broadcasted games using Bally Sports Ohio since the beginning of the 2021 season.
The Reds and Bally Sports have had some drama in each of the last couple of seasons. In 2023, the contract nearly expired mid-season after Diamond Sports failed to deliver a payment on rights fees. In May, an overdue payment was made, keeping the Reds on Bally’s airwaves.
This past year, a contract dispute between Bally and Xfinity led to the cable company dropping the channel for much of the 2024 season.
It is not known how the name change will impact the Reds’ broadcast plans in 2025 and beyond.
Starting next week, Diamond’s 16 regional sports channels will all take the name FanDuel Sports Network.
FanDuel TV will have their offerings such as the “Up & Adams” show featuring host Kay Adams, other sports betting shows and other content like horse racing and Euroleague basketball can be shown the Diamond’s regional sports networks.
David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, said the partnership will elevate the fan experience and deepen “the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners.”
For FanDuel, its president for sports, Mike Raffensperger, said it puts the company’s name in front of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks.
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