The Angels reached a local broadcast/broadcast deal with Diamond Sports Group yesterday, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The team will remain on the FanDuel Sports Network, the same organization that operated under the Bally Sports name. The Angels have not made an official announcement.
The terms of the deal remain undisclosed. For fans, the biggest development is the introduction of a live streaming deal. Fans in the Anaheim area can access Halos games on the FanDuel Sports app even if they don’t have a network television provider. The Cardinals reached a similar arrangement, which should greatly reduce the number of blackouts, with Diamond earlier this week.
Diamond dropped 11 of its 12 existing TV deals last month. They also negotiated new terms with the Marlins, Cardinals and Angels. Diamond plans to honor his original arrangement with the Braves. It will carry at least four teams next season. The Twins, Guardians and Brewers have announced that they will allow MLB to handle the market’s broadcasts. Rangers are still exploring options but do not intend to negotiate with Diamond again.
The Reds also took that approach. The Cincinnati franchise disclosed in court on Friday that it could not come to terms with Diamond (link posted by Evan Drellich of The Athletic). The Reds relinquished their stake in what had been a joint venture with Diamond that included FanDuel Sports Network Ohio. They will look at other arrangements. The Rays, Royals and Tigers remain in limbo and still can’t make new contracts.
That all suggests that Diamond continues to exist. The corporation still needs approval from the bankruptcy court to begin the restructuring process at all. A confirmation hearing is scheduled for next Thursday and Friday. MLB and the Braves filed a formal objection yesterday, expressing their belief that the Diamonds have a “high chance” of a rematch if the court approves the restructuring. Should the court overturn that challenge, the Angels will return to FanDuel Sports Network for at least one more season.
Source link
