Southwest Florida baseball fans will be able to tune in to Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlin games, but it’s going to come with a price.
Rays and Marlin games became available again on the Bally Sports Network (channels 401 and 402) on Thursday. Comcast removed the channels on May 1 when it couldn’t reach an agreement with Diamond Sports, owners of the Bally Sports Network.
Comcast will only offer the two channels as part of its Ultimate TV package, which is $20 more a month.
Comcast is offering a free three-month Ultimate TV package test drive through the end of the baseball season.
Comcast is the largest cable company along Florida’s Southwest and Southeast coasts.
Comcast was adamant about moving the channels to the Ultimate TV package, according to media reports.
“We appreciate Diamond Sports working with us to reach a solution that returns the Bally Sports RSNs to our Ultimate TV customers in a way that reflects the changing video marketplace for local sports,” Greg Rigdon, president of content acquisition for Comcast, said in a statement.
Diamond Sports is working its way through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company filed to reorganize in March 2023. Amazon has joined Diamond as a partner to help it come out of bankruptcy.
“Entering a new carriage agreement with Comcast, our third largest distributor, is a critical step forward in our restructuring effort, and we are pleased that fans will again be able to access broadcasts of their local teams through Xfinity,” David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports said in a statement.
“With certainty on our distribution, we are focused on finalizing an agreement with the NHL and resolving our ongoing negotiations with the NBA. We are mindful that time is of the essence with basketball and hockey seasons fast approaching, and once agreements with our team and league partners are complete, we intend to move expeditiously to present a plan of reorganization to the Court.”
Bally televised the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic games.
The Florida Panthers left Bally this year, signing an agreement with Scripps Sports. The Tampa Bay Lightning, for now, expect to continue with Bally.
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