Comcast-Bally Sports blackout, explained: Why MLB fans can't watch games after contract dispute

It’s a dark time for baseball fans that root for a team on a Bally Sports network and use Comcast as their provider.

Bally Sports channels carried on Comcast are no longer available to watch on cable as of the start of May. Fans in those regions are blacked out from watching MLB games, as well as other sporting events carried by the network, due to the failed contract negotiations between Comcast and Bally Sport’s parent company, Diamond Sports Group.

Diamond Sports Group, which filed for bankruptcy in 2023, originally agreed to a six-month extension with Comcast in the fall, however, the two sides were unable to come to terms on a multi-year agreement, As a result, Comcast pulled its Bally Sports channels on May 1.

Here is more to know about the situation between Bally Sports and Comcast, and other alternative options for baseball fans affected by the blackouts.

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How to watch Braves, Tigers, Cardinals games on Bally Sports

Diamond Sports Group may not have a deal currently in place with Comcast, but that does not mean other television providers don’t have contracts in place.

The ownership group of Bally Sports recently inked multi-year deals with Charter and DirecTV. which is considered its two largest distributors. So for Comcast customers looking to make a switch to a provider that does carry Bally Sports, those two are options.

In addition, viewers can go the streaming route and get Fubo, which carries all of the RSNs on the Bally Sports network. The platform offers a free trial, so prospective customers can try before they buy.

Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy, explained

In March of 2023, Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy, with the company sinking in a debt that totaled more than $8 billion.

In a statement, the company said that it “intends to use the proceedings to restructure and strengthen its balance sheet, while continuing to broadcast quality live sports productions to fans across the nation.”

Diamond Sports previously said it missed a $140 million interest payment and would instead enter into a 30-day grace period. During that time, the company had been in talks with its creditors and other stakeholders in a bid to restructure its debt load, CNBC reported at the time.

In January of 2024, it was reported that the Diamond Sports Group signed an agreement with a group of creditors to emerge out of bankruptcy. The creditors would provide the parent company of Bally Sports with $450 million in financing.

In addition, Amazon was set to provide funding to the company as well. A part of the agreement that was negotiated was that Prime Video would become the primary partner for direct-to-consumer access to stream local channels, including the Bally Sports network.

The deal with Amazon Prime is expected to be finalized by October of 2024.

What MLB teams are blacked out on Comcast?

As a result of the failed contract negotiations, fans of 12 MLB teams will not be able to watch their teams on the Bally Sports regional network.

MLB is unable to lift blackout restrictions for those clubs through its streaming service, MLB.TV, as it would be a breach of the teams’ contracts with Diamond Sports Groups.

Those teams are as follow:

• Atlanta Braves
• Cincinnati Reds
• Cleveland Guardians
• Detroit Tigers
• Kansas City Royals
• Los Angeles Angels
• Miami Marlins
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Minnesota Twins
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Tampa Bay Rays
• Texas Rangers

Diamond Sports Group maintains streaming rights for the Marlins, Rays, Royals and Tigers, so there is an alternate viewing option for fans in those regions. Local fans of the other eight teams who subscribe to Comcast are currently unable to watch any games that are not on national television.

The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks are currently the only MLB clubs that had their MLB blackouts lifted. This was because their deals with Diamond Sports Group previously fell through.