The Los Angeles Kings and Diamond Sports Group announced a new deal Thursday which will allow the team to broadcast its in-market games on Bally Sports West. While this is the franchise’s 38th consecutive season on the regional sports network, the deal is unique because it represents a new contract for Diamond Sports, which has put the world of professional sports in turmoil. when it filed for bankruptcy in the spring.
Both sides agreed to a multiyear deal. The Kings have 63 games broadcast on Bally Sports West during the 2023-24 season and another six on KCAL. The deal also gives Diamond Sports the King’s digital rights, which will allow them to stream games on their app.
This agreement comes as the future of Diamond Sports remains uncertain and tied up in the courts. It is currently meandering through bankruptcy court while its future is up in the air. The company also sued its parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting, in July for improperly siphoning off $1.5 billion.
Diamond Sports operates 19 RSNs across the country and is launching a sports streaming app, Bally Sports+, in 2022. When it filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, it created uncertainty for teams across the NHL , MLB and NBA broadcast their games on Diamond’s RSNs, with concerns about whether the company will be able to fulfill its contractual obligations and whether their local media rights will be at risk.
Major League Baseball took over the broadcasts for the San Diego Padres this summer, and Diamond tried to get out of paying the full rights to other MLB teams before a judge got involved. The NBA is cautiously preparing for the upcoming season but has begun working on backup plans in case a Diamond RSN is unable to broadcast games for any of the 15 teams it has a deal with. The Phoenix Suns abandoned a Diamond Sports RSN this summer for a combination of in-market streaming and a free over-the-air channel.
“This partnership furthers our commitment to Bally Sports West’s distribution markets and to providing LA Kings fans with in-depth coverage of their favorite team on multiple platforms,” said the CEO of Diamond Sports’ David Preschlack in a statement. “Furthermore, we are encouraged by the progress we have made in our restructuring process and hope this agreement will serve as a model for future discussions with our team and league partners.”
Required reading
(Image: David Kirouac / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)