Bally Sports stations set to go dark for Xfinity customers: report

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Bally Sports Networks are set to go dark Tuesday night for Comcast Xfinity customers as the two companies fail to reach an agreement on a deal.

According to sports business reporter John Ourand, Bally Sports regional sports channels could disappear as soon as Tuesday night on Comcast systems.

In a statement, a Comcast spokesperson wrote: “We have been very flexible with Diamond Sports Group for months as they work through their bankruptcy proceedings, providing them with an extension on the Bally Sports Regional Networks last fall and a unilateral right to extend the term for another year, which they opted to not exercise.  We’d like to continue carrying their networks, but they have declined multiple offers and now we no longer have the rights to this programming.”

The dispute leaves Minnesota sports fans with few options, as Bally Sports North, which carries Twins, Wild, Timberwolves, and Lynx games, is only available on DirectTV, Spectrum, and FuboTV. Diamond Sports Group, the company that owns the Bally networks, has also failed to reach an agreement with YouTubeTV.

Bally Sports does offer its own streaming app for $19.99 per month, but it doesn’t carry Twins games.

Xfinity customers will get a refund, the company says. “We will proactively credit our customers for the costs associated with them – most will automatically receive $8 to 10 per month in credits,” the statement continues.

Diamond Sports Group’s response

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Diamond Sports Group wrote:

“It’s disappointing that Comcast rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air and that Comcast indicated that it intends to pull the signals, preventing fans from watching their favorite local teams. Comcast has refused to engage in substantive discussions despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with much larger distributors of ours. We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and RSNs play in the media ecosystem. In the meantime, fans in Comcast regions can access our networks through subscriptions to Fubo, DirecTV or DirecTV STREAM or through our direct-to-consumer offering, Bally Sports+ for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights.”