Diamond Sports Group Reaches Deals With NBA, NHL

Nearly a month to the day after a Houston court agreed to postpone a crucial confirmation hearing in the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy case, the owner/operator of the country’s largest group of regional sports networks has finalized deals to continue televising games for 20 NBA and NHL teams in their local markets.

In a series of filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Diamond on Friday disclosed that it has agreed to honor its legacy TV agreements with the bulk of its NBA and NHL partners.

On the hoops side of the ledger, DSG will forge ahead with the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs “through at least the end of the 2024-2025 NBA season.”

The deals require the approval of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who has repeatedly urged the parties to reach arrangements on their own rather than wait for him to issue orders that favor one side or the other. Lopez’s recommendations are consistent with the federal bankruptcy process, which is designed to encourage settlement and mediation on the idea that the interested parties are in the best position to resolve their dispute.

As part of its go-forward plan with the NBA, Diamond will file motions to reject the contracts of the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans. The latter separation was foreshadowed earlier this month when the Pelicans announced that they’d inked a multiyear deal with Gray Television affiliate WVUE-TV (Fox 8/Bounce TV) to air 70 games per year in their hometown market. As Mark Cuban himself has said more than once, Dallas has long been considering a split from Bally Sports Southwest.

For pay-TV subscribers, the Mavs’ RSN is arguably one of the more reasonably priced local sports outlets, with an average monthly subscriber fee of around $3.35. By comparison, Bally Sports Detroit fetches approximately $6.88 per sub per month, while Diamond’s Ohio-based RSN is the priciest on the dial at $7.42.

Cutting ties with the Mavs will make for a much lighter load for Bally Sports Southwest, as the NHL’s Dallas Stars officially left the RSN on July 8. Baseball’s Texas Rangers hold a 10% stake in the network.

Per terms of the agreement, Diamond’s NBA partners have consented to a 30%-40% reduction of their extant rights fees.

In addition to the long-awaited deal with the NBA, Diamond also has secured another go-around with the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning. As is the case with the NBA clubs, the NHL agreement extends through the end of the coming season. That said, the haircut the seven NHL teams have agreed to is considerably lower than the NBA tithe, as the reduction in rights fees is said to be closer to 20%.

Along with the seven NHL partners affiliated with RSNs that are wholly owned by Diamond, the company has agreed to continue carrying Blues and Kings games in the St. Louis and Los Angeles markets. The St. Louis Cardinals own 30% of Bally Sports Midwest, while the Los Angeles Angels hold a 25% stake in Bally Sports West.

“We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL,” said Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack, in a statement issued shortly after the legal papers were filed. “Having completed negotiations with key partners that provide certainty around our content and distribution, Diamond is well positioned for the future. With the support of our creditors, we are focused on finalizing our reorganization plan to support our emergence and presenting that plan to the court in due course.”

With the NBA and NHL deals in place, and in light of Diamond’s renewal of its carriage deal with Comcast, the company has paved the way to what is expected to be a successful confirmation hearing. Judge Christopher Lopez last month agreed to postpone the crucial July 29 court date after Diamond attorneys asked for a little extra wiggle room to nail down the aforementioned arrangements. As it happens, DSG managed to settle its carriage dispute with the cable giant—Comcast closed out the second quarter of 2024 with 13.2 million video customers—on the very day it was meant to present its case to the court.

As part of today’s filings, Diamond has requested that emergency relief be granted on or before Sept. 3. A rain date for the twice-delayed confirmation hearing is expected to be set during the company’s next court appearance.