The regional sports networks Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio underwent significant name and branding changes last week, and they now are known as Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes, respectively.
But, unless viewers subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite package, they will not see either channel and their familiar associated content — such as Major League Baseball teams in Cleveland and Cincinnati, which had their Opening Days last week.
Both Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio were dropped from streaming TV services such as YouTube TV and Hulu last fall. So Columbus viewers who cut the cord and switched to those services have not been able to watch the Blue Jackets, carried by the former Fox Sports Ohio, this season. Cleveland Cavaliers fans were similarly affected.
The defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew, which will begin its regular season on April 18, was carried by Fox Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio in 2019 and 2020, but the team has yet to announce a broadcast deal for this season. (The Crew's opener against Philadelphia will be on FS1.)
It seems unlikely that either YouTube TV or Hulu, the dominant platforms in the streaming of live television, will reach an accord with Sinclair Broadcasting, owner of Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes. That means Ohio sports fans who subscribe to YouTube TV or Hulu will continue to be shut out, barring purchases of national sports packages or their teams' appearances on network or national cable telecasts.
Cable companies such as Spectrum and satellite provider DirecTV still carry the channels in some lineups. There even is an option for cord cutters: AT&T TV, a platform for live TV streaming, has the channels available in its Choice tier.
Sinclair Broadcasting purchased regional sports networks from Walt Disney Co. in 2019.
Bally Sports Ohio hosts games and content from the Blue Jackets, Cavaliers, Cincinnati Reds, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton and Xavier University.
Bally Sports Great Lakes is home to Cleveland's baseball team, Cleveland Browns content, and golf and sports talk.
Though the channels' split with the streaming services last fall created an uproar, it came only from a minority of viewers. Despite the frustration of fans that comes with sports carriage disputes, the channels watched most by television viewers — by far — are the network affiliates for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
According to a recent Variety article, sports behemoth ESPN comes in at only No. 10 with respect to viewership among subscribers, and Wizer, a marketing research firm, reported that just 21.6% of pay-TV subscribers watch ESPN regularly.
Though the programming on the new Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Great Lakes — game telecasts, in-studio content — won't change much from their predecessors, viewers eventually can expect gaming-related content to seep into the mix, given that Bally, a casino owner/operator, has invested $85 million over 10 years to secure naming rights.
That gaming content potentially could include in-game betting, should the state of Ohio eventually move in that direction.
Source link
