SOUTHPORT, Conn. & EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Diamond Sports Group (“Diamond” or the “Company”) and DIRECTV today announced that they have reached a multi-year renewal of their distribution agreement for the continued carriage of Diamond’s portfolio of regional sports networks (“RSNs”).
Under the agreement, DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM customers who select a CHOICETM, ULTIMATE or PREMIER package will maintain access to live, local MLB, NBA and NHL games and team related content featured on Diamond’s several RSN channels. Additionally, these customers will soon be able to stream Diamond’s RSN content by authenticating with their DIRECTV subscription credentials on the Bally Sports app. Any DIRECTV or DIRECTV STREAM customers who do not have direct access to Diamond’s RSN channels as part of their primary video service will be able to purchase Diamond’s Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) product via DIRECTV and access the full complement of local DTC content for any teams to which Diamond retains DTC rights.
David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, stated: “We are pleased to extend our relationship with DIRECTV to provide high quality local sports telecasts for passionate fans in the home markets of our team partners. This is a significant development for Diamond, and we highly value the relationship we have built with DIRECTV and their customers over the course of many years. We remain focused on executing the steps necessary to reorganize Diamond with a structure that drives sustainable value for our stakeholders, including our distributors and league and team partners.”
Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer of DIRECTV, stated: “DIRECTV has always been a sports leader and we continue to see significant opportunity for both our residential and commercial customers in local sports. We want to ensure our customers receive more flexibility, choice and value, and this agreement provides them with those capabilities. Diamond’s regional sports networks remain a key component of our live sports offering, and we look forward to working with Diamond and the many popular MLB, NBA, NHL, and other teams it retains for years to come under this new agreement.”
Diamond’s agreement with DIRECTV follows Diamond’s previously announced multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Charter Communications, Inc and Cox Communications.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
About Diamond Sports Group
Diamond Sports Group LLC, an independently managed and unconsolidated subsidiary of Sinclair Inc., owns the Bally Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), the nation’s leading provider of local sports. Its 18 owned-and-operated RSNs include Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports New Orleans, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Oklahoma, Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports West, and Bally Sports Wisconsin. The Bally Sports RSNs serve as the TV home to nearly half of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. Diamond Sports Group also has a joint venture in Marquee, the home of the Chicago Cubs, and a minority interest in the YES Network, the local destination for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets. Diamond RSNs produce over 4,000 live local professional telecasts each year in addition to a wide variety of locally produced sports events and programs.
About DIRECTV
As a leader in sports and entertainment for 30 years, DIRECTV provides industry-leading content and an amazing user experience with or without a satellite. By reimagining what is possible, DIRECTV’s mission is to aggregate, curate and deliver exceptional, innovative service to its customers. In 2023, DIRECTV elevated the customer experience by delivering Gemini, which can integrate customers’ content from their third-party streaming services onto a single one-stop, digital experience. At DIRECTV, the sports season never ends, and customers are treated to broadcasts of several major sports, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and multiple international soccer leagues. DIRECTV provides customers the choice of watching sports, movies, and TV shows on their TVs at home or their favorite mobile devices via the DIRECTV App.
