Since Diamond Sports Group missed Tuesday’s deadline to make the rights fee payment to the Padres, Major League Baseball will take over production of the San Diego games, the league announced Wednesday. But what does that mean for future team broadcasts and how can fans watch the games?
Here’s what you need to know:
How to see the Parents
MLB will take over production and distribution of all Padres home games beginning Wednesday, with games available on local television or broadcast without blackouts, subject to national exclusivities.
The games will be broadcast in the market on DirecTV (channel 694-3), AT&T U-Verse (channel 781), Cox (Yurview channel 4) and Spectrum (channel 305). Channel numbers changed due to the change in distribution from Bally Sports San Diego to MLB.
How to stream Padres games
MLB will stream Padres games on the MLB TV app for free through Sunday. After that, fans will have to pay $19.99 per month or $74.99 for the rest of the season.
Fubo offers Padres games, but YouTube TV and Sling don’t.
What talent will be on the MLB broadcast?
San Diego’s top television announcers Don Orsillo, Mark Grant and Bob Scanlan will remain on duty, while the 97.3 The Fan radio team will also continue with Jesse Agler and Tony Gwynn Jr. announcing games from the booth.
What about changes in the future?
According to the team, the changes “will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.”
The Padres said the organization anticipates no changes to existing service providers for the 2024 season and “will provide updates with potential additions prior to the start of the 2024 season.”
what are they saying
“As previously stated by Commissioner Manfred, Major League Baseball stands ready to produce and distribute Padres games to fans throughout Padres territory,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said in a statement. “While we are disappointed that Diamond Sports Group has not honored its contractual agreement with the Club, we are taking this opportunity to reinvent the distribution model, eliminate blackouts at local games, improve telecasting and expand the reach of Padres games. by more than 2 million homes.”
MLB executive vice president of local media Billy Chambers said the league is “working to improve the game broadcast experience for all Padres fans” and “new technology, better picture quality and greater access are just some of the elements we’re working on to better tell the story each and every night.
“We have been preparing for this groundbreaking moment,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. “The Padres are excited to be the first team to partner with Major League Baseball to offer a direct-to-consumer broadcast option through MLB.TV without blackouts while preserving our in-market distribution through traditional cable television providers and satelite. Our fans will now have unprecedented access to Padres games across digital and traditional platforms throughout San Diego and beyond.”
background
Diamond Sports said Tuesday that it “decided not to provide additional funds to the San Diego RSN that would allow it to make the royalty payment to the San Diego Padres during the grace period.”
Bally Sports San Diego, the San Diego RSN and broadcaster of Padres games, is not part of Diamond’s bankruptcy filing, as it is a joint venture between the Padres and Diamond Sports. Therefore, Diamond cannot argue against it in bankruptcy court and there are no bankruptcy law protections that can overcome a late payment. Diamond Sports’ late payment means the media rights revert to the Padres, with MLB taking over production and distribution of the game.
MLB doesn’t guarantee that the Padres (or any team that ends up in a similar situation) will make up the lost money, but the league and other teams will back teams like the Padres who don’t get paid, sources reported on the plans. said the athletic.
Diamond Sports said it will continue to broadcast games for teams under its contracts.
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(Photo: Sean M Haffey/Getty)
