Why this season could be the Memphis Grizzlies' last with Bally Sports
This could be the last season Memphis Grizzlies games will be broadcast on Bally Sports.
With Diamond Sports Group, the owner of Bally Sports Regional Sports Network, in a financial bind, there wasn't always certainty that all games would be broadcast on the RSN through this season. The NBA prepared contingency plans for the 15 league markets that could be impacted, but the NBA and DSG reached a deal to ease the uncertainty.
“We have reached an agreement with Diamond that, upon court approval, will allow Diamond to continue distributing NBA games in its 15 markets for the 2023-24 season," an NBA spokesperson confirmed to The Commercial Appeal.
Bally Sports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, which is often called reorganization bankruptcy. This allowed DSG to continue running its business with court approval to borrow money.
Along with the 15 NBA markets, several MLB and NHL franchises are impacted.
Bally Sports has recently had app outages that have impacted the ability of fans to watch games. That led to Bally Sports offering its paying subscribers a seven-day credit.
"Demand is high and we are actively issuing credits," a Bally Sports help account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We are truly working around the clock to find a permanent solution and drive further optimizations and stability around our platforms."
We recognize our responsibility to deliver these games without disruption and cannot underscore the importance we are placing on these issues. Simply put, we haven’t been getting the job done and won’t rest until we do. We hope to earn back your trust in time.
— BallySportsHelp (@ballysportshelp) November 3, 2023
What this means for the Grizzlies
Grizzlies games will now be broadcast regionally with certainty through the 2023-24 season as stated on the team's schedule. As for beyond this season, things get murkier.
While the NBA and DSG deals mean that all RSN deals end after the season, that doesn't mean that the Grizzlies and Bally Sports can't negotiate a new deal. Because of the success of the Atlanta Braves and Ja Morant's superstar status, the Bally Sports Southeast network has been believed to be one of the more successful regional options.
Examples in other Bally Sports markets
If the Grizzlies don't return on Bally Sports, what happens next? Well, there are multiple recent examples of teams going separate ways with Bally.
MLB's San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks are notable examples after having their games cut from Bally Sports because of contract disputes. Both teams finished the season with their games being broadcast on MLB.TV, and that is the plan as well for 2024.
In the NBA, the Phoenix Suns announced that their games will be featured for free on broadcast TV instead of subscriber-based options. Suns games were previously aired on Bally Sports Arizona.
Suns owner Matt Ishbia believes the broadcast TV option could start a new trend. Since the Grizzlies and many other NBA teams will have the option after this season, it won't be long to find out if he is right.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies future with Bally Sports uncertain after 2023-24 season
