Trouble at Bally Sports

[Deleted User 7620]

https://www.wxyz.com/money/business-new ... tid=tejx2t

[Realist]

I’ve read other news reports that they would just go into re-organization if they declared bankruptcy. My question is this - would bankruptcy allow them to void contracts for some of their highly paid talent?

[MWmetalhead]

Yes, it certainly would, if that is something the debtor wished to implement. Employment agreements are a form of executory contract that can be rejected at the debtor's option.

[TC Talks]

This guy has been waiting for his chance to anchor his entire life...

[Trophyhead]

Brian Collins ^^^ has been working near 12 years as a producer for a Cincinnati search engine optimization firm.

You google their name and the first image that comes up is his LinkedIn picture.

[Editorcj]

It looks like MLB is being proactive about life without Bally's. Even if that company can be saved it seems likely they won't be broadcasting baseball games. Who knows if BSD will have the Pistons and Wings next year?

[MWmetalhead]

https://arizonasports-com.cdn.ampprojec ... rtainty%2F

[Michiganviewer]

Good thing I have not tried the ballys streaming app to catch the Red Wings this year.

[SolidGoldDancers]

The days of milking pay TV subscribers whether they watched sports or not are drawing to a close. Given how the NHL has turned the game into a medium to display live ads on the boards, I think they're all going to either resort to streaming their own and/or putting it back on broadcast. It was always more lucrative and easier to let the likes of ESPN, Fox and Sinclair over-pay to broadcast, but I believe they've all had a backup plan. Olympia has been "floating" the idea of their own network for the last decade.

I always thought it was a bullshit racket. Without the pay TV tax, how the hell are MLB teams going to be able to afford $200 million dollar contracts?

[atariboy]

The days of milking pay TV subscribers whether they watched sports or not are drawing to a close. Given how the NHL has turned the game into a medium to display live ads on the boards, I think they're all going to either resort to streaming their own and/or putting it back on broadcast. It was always more lucrative and easier to let the likes of ESPN, Fox and Sinclair over-pay to broadcast, but I believe they've all had a backup plan. Olympia has been "floating" the idea of their own network for the last decade.

I always thought it was a bullshit racket. Without the pay TV tax, how the hell are MLB teams going to be able to afford $200 million dollar contracts?

I think streaming has had its day with the likes of Disney & Netflix chopping jobs and cutting costs. Now that the initial surge in subs has ended they can't spend like they used to. Turns out the extra few dollars subscribers can pay to skip ads doesn't come close to covering the ad revenue traditional broadcasting can raise.

[Art Van Damme]

This could unravel in so many different ways. My 2 cents:

-Streaming becomes the primary mode of distribution, with cable being secondary. You may see a Red Wings App, for example, be initiated.

-The existing regional infrastructure is already in place. Spin it into a company owned jointly by the three teams, in Michigan.

-Dismantle the Diamond-Bally model entirely.

-Is ESPN+ a viable option as a replacement for regional networks?

-Over-The-Air stations would be an option to broadcast many games, regionally.

All of this could fall apart if there is a team with an ax to grind.

This is fascinating to watch. I don’t have any answers just speculation.

[MWmetalhead]

I still think MLB and Diamond will work out a deal that keeps most teams' games on Bally's Sports in instances where a partnership already exists.

Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Tubi or another streaming provider could be a dark horse alternative, though.

TNF on Amazon Prime fared decently in 2022, for what that's worth:

https://theathletic-com.cdn.ampproject. ... ings-tv%2F

[Mega Hertz]

Man, we have come a long, long way from paying $9.95 a month for PASS.

[MWmetalhead]

I miss PASS. That network was really good a couple years either side of 1990. It did start to go downhill toward the end.

[radiofan1974]

I know in todays world it would never happen, but would be nice to see it come all around and go back to OTA, bring it back on WDIV with Eli Zaret doing the pre game show