Diamond Sports Group

Diamond Sports Group, the subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcasting that technically owns Bally Sports Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), is considered “Sinclair’s Achilles Heel” and has been subject to bankruptcy rumors. The financial aspect could be a major factor in the Direct to Consumer (DTC) service, as Major League Baseball reportedly wants a stake in Bally Sports RSNs streaming service. With MLB wanting to have a stake in Bally’s Sports DTC app, it’s a matter of time before the leagues and teams start cutting out the middleman and selling the product directly to fans. Right now, leagues lack the infrastructure, which is why the RSN model is still in existence. However, the NHL is allowing fans to watch out-of-market games via ESPN+ and Hulu; MLB and the NBA have MLB.tv and NBA League Pass, respectively. The MLB also airs games on YouTube which helps the game appeal to younger viewers Amazon has reportedly placed a bid for the NFL’s media properties, so it wouldn’t be out of the question if they partnered up with the other leagues by using their Prime Video infrastructure to put games in the hands of fans.