Bally Sports And MLB Games Are Returning To Xfinity But It Will Cost You

Bally Sports

Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally Sports branded family of regional sports networks has reached a deal to end their carriage dispute with Comcast and will bring MLB games back to Xfinity.

That means 15 of the Bally Sports RSNs will come back to Xfinity on Thursday, Aug 1st.

Financial terms were not revealed.

Twelve MLB teams currently call Bally Sports their regional sports network of choice. Those include the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.

Comcast and Diamond went into a carriage dispute on May 2 and the carrier has had those RSNs dark since then. With the dispute now ended, it means that for three months, a giant hole has been in MLB’s regional sports network numbers, throwing trends for the season into disarray.

For those Xfinity subscribers who watched games last season, since then a change that altered numbers downward for the total audience for the Comcast total.

That change involved increased cost, and that does not change with the dispute between Comcast and Diamond resolved.

Effective on August 1, the Bally Sports RSNs will be on the Xfinity Ultimate TV Package; a higher tier than basic. The top-tier offering costs $68.50–$80.00 monthly, depending on which area of the US you live.

Additionally, Xfinity Ultimate TV customers will be able to stream Diamond’s RSN content by authenticating using their Xfinity credentials on the Bally Sports app.

Should Diamond exit Chapter 1 bankruptcy ahead of their respective seasons, Xfinity will air NBA and NHL games, as well.

“Entering a new carriage agreement with Comcast, our third largest distributor, is a critical step forward in our restructuring effort, and we are pleased that fans will again be able to access broadcasts of their local teams through Xfinity,” said David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports . “With certainty on our distribution, we are focused on finalizing an agreement with the NHL and resolving our ongoing negotiations with the NBA. We are mindful that time is of the essence with basketball and hockey seasons fast approaching, and once agreements with our team and league partners are complete, we intend to move expeditiously to present a plan of reorganization to the Court.”

“We appreciate Diamond Sports working with us to reach a solution that returns the Bally Sports RSNs to our Ultimate TV customers in a way that reflects the changing video marketplace for local sports,” said Greg Rigdon, President of Content Acquisition for Comcast. “We look forward to making these networks available on August 1, so customers can enjoy watching their favorite teams again.”

With the Comcast dispute resolved, Diamond sees a full slate of major carriers airing Bally Sports content. Diamond previously reached new distribution agreements with Charter Communications, DIRECTV, Cox Communications and Fubo.