Diamond Sports Group now appears to be in the process of seeking to back out of its deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a move which would then open up other options for watching the Diamondbacks in the future.
As has been routinely documented over the past few weeks and months, Diamond Sports Group is undergoing some financial difficulties, even filing for bankruptcy earlier in the year. As part of that Chapter 11 filing, the company’s deals with various teams and leagues were put on hold, allowing those involved an opportunity to figure out what happens next.
Now, and following the cutting of ties with the San Diego Padres, Diamond is seeking to end its deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to a new emergency motion filing, Diamond explains that the current arrangement does not generate enough revenue to cover the costs.
According to the filing, “the debtors have concluded that the Diamondbacks Agreement does not fit within the Debtors’ long-term strategic plan and therefore is not necessary to the Debtors’ business.”
This follows a court ruling from earlier this month which ordered Diamond to pay four MLB teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks. It would seem now that Diamond would prefer to end the deal then continue to lose money by honoring the agreement for the rest of the contracted term.
If the motion is approved, then it seems likely that the Arizona Diamondbacks will be able to move on from Diamond and Bally Sports, and look to offer alternative watch options to fans.
This is what happened with the Padres, resulting in Major League Baseball making games in the near-term available to watch for free. The long-term MLB plan is to offer a direct-to-consumer Padres subscription service, and it seems highly likely that any Arizona Diamondbacks short and long-term plans would be very similar, if not almost exactly the same.
