Diamond Sports Agreement Keeps Bally Sports Detroit on Spectrum

Diamond Sports Group, Connecticut-based owner of Bally Sports Detroit, has reached a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Charter Communications Inc., operator of the Spectrum cable TV system. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
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Bally stock photo
Diamond Sports Group, owner of Bally Sports Detroit, has reached a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Charter Communications Inc., operator of the Spectrum cable TV system. // Photo courtesy of Illitch Cos.

Diamond Sports Group, Connecticut-based owner of Bally Sports Detroit, has reached a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Charter Communications Inc., operator of the Spectrum cable TV system. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.

Under the new agreement, Detroit area customers will continue to have access to live Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings games and pre- and post-game content on Bally Sports Detroit through Charter’s Spectrum TV Select Plus package.

Additionally, Spectrum TV Select Plus customers will be able to stream Diamond’s RSN content by authenticating with their subscription credentials on the Bally Sports app. Customers who do not have access to Diamond’s RSN channels as part of their service will be able to purchase Diamond’s Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) product, including from Spectrum, to access all local DTC content for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights.

“Extending our distribution relationship with Charter is a key milestone and an important part of our go-forward plan, as we remain focused on restructuring the company and moving forward as a sustainable, profitable business,” says David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond. “We expect this agreement to generate value for Diamond, Charter, and our team and league partners, and enable us to continue providing high quality broadcasts for passionate local fans. We believe this agreement can serve as a model in the ongoing time-sensitive negotiations with our other distribution partners to reach carriage agreements that work for all parties.”