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Diamond Sports Group, owners of the FanDuel Sports Network, received approval to emerge from bankruptcy, 20 months after filing for Chapter 11. Southern District of Texas Judge Christopher Lopez approved the company’s reorganization plan in court, saying it is “compliant with every provision under the law.”
Diamond, a subsidiary of Sinclair, has rights to 27 pro team sports between Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL. The network is made up of 16 regional sports networks which serves fans in 31 states. In 2019, Sinclair purchased 21 regional channels from Fox for $10.6 billion.
The networks were known as Bally Sports until a recent naming rights deal with FanDuel has them now called FanDuel Sports Network.
Just yesterday it was announced, pending the approval of the bankruptcy proceedings, that Diamond Sports Group had reached an agreement with Amazon’s Prime Video. Under the terms of the agreement FanDuel Sports Network RSNs will be made available via Prime Video as an add on subscription for those living within a team’s designated geographic area. Customers will be able to subscribe to and watch their local FanDuel Sports Network content, including live games and pre- and post-game programming directly through Prime Video.
Also, as part of the deal, Amazon will market the availability of FanDuel Sports Network content on Prime Video. The company noted in a release, “Fans who watch local games through Prime Video will enjoy a seamless and customized viewing experience, as Prime Video allows them to subscribe, manage, and watch their favorite streaming services and sports content in one place.”
Diamond had initially said it would need to end all of its Major League Baseball contracts except for the Atlanta Braves, however, since that time, the network has worked out agreements with several teams on restructured deals including the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.
The NBA teams which work with DSG include the Orland Magic, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
For hockey, DSG holds the rights to eight teams. Those teams at the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, LA Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.
