Regional sports networks have been the home of many teams for years, but the collapse of the Bally Sports network could change the game.
The network, which runs a family of regional networks, filed for bankruptcy in June. And the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury have used that as a catalyst to begin airing their games on free broadcast television, a move that other teams could follow.
The move was initially blocked by a bankruptcy court judge, but Bally Sports allowed the change, by not enforcing a matching rights clause in the contract before a deadline Thursday.
The Suns and Mercury say they expect the over-the-air games will triple their reach compared to what it saw on the cable network, giving more than 2.8 million homes across Arizona access to the games for free. Up next could be the Utah Jazz, who have also announced plans to air games on local over-the-air stations after 15 years.
Speaking on CNBC, Mat Ishbia, new owner of the Phoenix Suns, said he expects the list to grow even longer.
“For people to have pay to watch the game, that’s not how I grew up,” he said. “So we’re going to make those changes and will others follow? Yeah. It’s a bad short term money decision for the Phoenix Suns, but it’s a great long term fan decision. And usually, money follows success… so let’s do the right thing. We’ll make money down the road.”
Major League Baseball teams could be next. With the Bally Sports bankruptcy, TV rights have reverted back to MLB for several teams. And AT&T SportsNet is also shutting down, which could mean additional shuffling.
This could have major ramifications across the (non-football) sports landscape. Both the NBA and MLB have seen their viewership numbers drop precipitously in recent years. The 2023 All-Star Game for the NBA registered its lowest-ever ratings with 4.59 million viewers, while its counterpart for MLB also reached a record-low-mark, with 7 million viewers, breaking a record set just the year before. MLB is aware of its need to appeal to a younger, less patient generation, instituting a number of rule changes this year to quicken the pace of the game. But what if games are just free instead of on a basic cable regional sports network?
Fans will be able to watch the Suns and Mercury games when the 2023/2024 season begins in October.