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Bally Sports Wisconsin will have a new name during Bucks broadcasts this year

Diamond Sports Group, the broadcaster that manages Bally Sports Wisconsin and similar Bally-branded networks around the country, announced Friday that it was officially changing the name of its service to FanDuel Sports Network, effective Oct. 21.

The expected development means Milwaukee Bucks games will air on a network with a new name this season, though they'll be found in the same places as before. The company will still offer a direct-to-consumer app and broadcast games on satellite and cable, but the Bally Sports branding is gone. Wisconsin's specific channel will be known as FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

The Bucks were part of an agreement with Diamond to broadcast games for the 2024-25 season.

A television camera above the basket is adjusted before the Milwaukee Bucks game Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.
A television camera above the basket is adjusted before the Milwaukee Bucks game Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.

The online gaming company FanDuel inherits branding rights for a channel that will no longer air Milwaukee Brewers programming after the club announced Major League Baseball would be producing and distributing games going forward.

Enmeshed in bankruptcy proceedings, Diamond has shed a number of its team contracts, particularly with Major League Baseball franchises, but it will still air games for 13 NBA teams and eight NHL teams in 16 markets. It still holds contracts with eight MLB teams, as well.

“Partnering with Diamond provides us an opportunity to put the FanDuel brand at the intersection of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks, FanDuel president Mike Raffensperger said in a release. "A large cohort of FanDuel customers are devoted RSN viewers and this agreement allows us to further cement the FanDuel brand with sports fans and provides a unique vehicle to reward our users.”

Bally Sports held a relatively short-lived presence in Milwaukee sports; the company secured naming rights beginning in 2021, rebranding the local channel that was known as Fox Sports Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bally Sports will rename as FanDuel Sports Network for Bucks season