After seeing the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns and Mercury, and Arizona Coyotes depart the network, Bally Sports Arizona is ceasing operations.
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Bally Sports Arizona announced it was “no longer providing coverage of your favorite teams”. “We sincerely thank you for your loyal viewership over the years”, the statement concluded.
The regional sports network asked out of its contract with the Arizona Coyotes earlier this month, with the team announcing a new deal with Scripps Sports for over-the-air television distribution hours later.
The departure of the Coyotes comes after the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury agreed to a similar deal with Gray Television stations in July. At the time, Bally Sports Arizona contested the contract, claiming they had the right to match any offer made to the NBA franchise. However, the deal ultimately went through.
Earlier this year, the network announced it had paid every MLB contract it held, except for the Arizona Diamondbacks, signaling its intent to drop the contract. MLB took control of the club’s television rights on July 18th after a bankruptcy court signed off on the network’s decision to end the contract.
The demise of Bally Sports Arizona coincides with parent company Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. The company has been mired in court cases attempting to get out from under its massive debt load.
The regional sports network debuted in 1996 in the Copper State as FOX Sports Arizona. It also operated under the FOX Sports Net Arizona, FSN Arizona, FS Arizona, before being renamed under the Bally Sports naming rights deal in 2021.
