OAKLAND – As the Cincinnati Reds travel on a six-game road trip through Oakland and San Diego, this might be the last week their games are broadcast through Bally Sports Ohio on TV.
Diamond Sports Group, the parent company for Bally Sports Ohio, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March and it missed its last rights fees payment to the Reds on April 17, according to a report from the Sports Business Journal. Diamond has a 15-day period to make the payment without penalty and if it misses that window, it’s possible Major League Baseball could secure the TV rights to Reds games.
Following the six-game road trip, the Reds’ first game against the Chicago White Sox will be exclusively shown on AppleTV+. The next Reds vs. White Sox game, on May 6, is a potential turning point, according to people familiar with the situation.
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Diamond already missed right fees payments to the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Those teams still have their games airing on Bally Sports as MLB attempts to secure full payments or the TV rights through bankruptcy court.
The Reds are in a different situation because they hold an equity stake in Bally Sports Ohio. The Sports Business Journal reported “the presence of that joint venture has kept that (regional sports network) separate from the bankruptcy proceeding.” There are five other teams that hold equity stakes with their Bally Sports network.
“Major League Baseball is ready to produce and distribute games to fans in their local markets in the event that Diamond or any other regional sports network is unable to do so as required by their agreement with our Clubs,” MLB said in a statement last month. “Having streamed live games on MLB.TV for more than 20 years and produced live games for MLB Network since 2009, we have the experience and capabilities to deliver games to fans uninterrupted.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, speaking at a press conference during spring training, envisioned games appearing on cable TV and an MLB.TV package to stream games without local blackouts if the league took over TV rights.
The Sports Business Journal, citing a source, reported “MLB has handshake agreements with distributors like DirecTV and Spectrum Cable, which is the dominant cable system in the Cincinnati market. The cable and satellite providers would carry the games on a different channel than Bally Sports Ohio.”
It's unclear how much money the Reds received each year from their contract with Bally Sports. The Reds agreed to a 15-year extension, running through the 2032 season, in October 2016. Their previous deal guaranteed the club $30 million per season from 2007-16, and the extension represented a significant increase.
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If MLB took over the TV rights for a team, Manfred said, the revenues would essentially flow to the teams. The Sports Business Journal reported MLB is expected to use many of the same behind-the-camera crew, many of whom work as freelancers. The announcers are team employees.
“I think it’s really important for the game to preserve the economics in the remaining (regional sports networks) cable bundle,” Manfred said in February, “while developing a digital alternative that has more flexibility and gives us a better reach in terms of getting the fans who want to watch and don’t have the ability to watch.”
Reds make series of roster moves
The Reds placed Wil Myers on the injured list Thursday without an injury designation and Graham Ashcraft on the bereavement list. Like how the COVID-related IL worked in recent years, there is no minimum or maximum number of days Myers must spend on the IL. Myers was scratched from the lineup Tuesday (neck spasms) and Wednesday.
Ashcraft, whose grandmother passed away Monday, is expected to make his next scheduled start Tuesday in San Diego.
Relief pitcher Casey Legumina was called up from Triple-A Louisville, giving the Reds a nine-man bullpen for their series in Oakland. Legumina, 25, has permitted three hits and one run in 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
In addition to the moves on the major league roster, Jason Vosler cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A Louisville after he was designated for assignment. Vosler hit .106 in his last 47 at-bats with 20 strikeouts before the Reds took him off their 40-man roster to make room for switch-hitting outfielder Henry Ramos.
Writers off Reds radio broadcasts
The Reds will no longer have beat reporters join the Reds radio broadcast, a longtime second-inning staple, effective Friday.
The decision stemmed from the pace of the game with the pitch clock. The average Reds game is 31 minutes shorter than last year at two hours, 35 minutes.
Previously, writers from The Enquirer, MLB.com and the Athletic visited broadcasters Tommy Thrall and Jeff Brantley to discuss the latest news with the club for a half-inning.
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