Effective Friday, Oct. 20, at 11:59 p.m., PT, Diamond Sports Group will cease operations of the Bally Sports Arizona channel. Normal scheduled programming will run on the network until Friday, Oct. 20 at 11:59 p.m.
Beginning at midnight on Saturday, Oct. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 22 at 11:59 p.m., PT, the channel will include a statement indicating the closing of the network. After that time, the network signal will be no longer be available.
Below are the channels and communities impacted by the change:
TDS TV+
Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Lubbock and Odessa Designated Market Areas: A la Carte, Expanded Basic, Freedom and HD Expanded — Channel 252
Digital TV
New Mexico
Alamogordo: Expanded Basic, Freedom and HD Expanded — Channel 27 (SD) and Channel 127 (HD)
Carlsbad: Expanded Basic, Freedom and HD Expanded — Channel 45 (SD) and Channel 735 (HD)
Ruidoso: Expanded Basic, Freedom and HD Expanded — Channel 27 (SD) and Channel 127 (HD)
Socorro: Basic, Limited Basic — Channel 51 (SD)
Truth or Consequences: Expanded Basic, Freedom and HD Expanded — Channel 61 (SD) and Channel 135 (HD)
Diamond Sports Group had the following statement on its website on the Arizona Diamondbacks:
“Given the inability to reach an agreement with the Diamondbacks and MLB, we have rejected that rights contract, which had financial terms that were not aligned with Diamond’s long-term plans. We are no longer broadcasting Diamondbacks games. We value the relationships we have built with the Diamondbacks and their passionate fans, and we wish them the best going forward.”
Chapter 11 Restructuring Statement:
Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to implement its restructuring. This was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one, given our unsustainable debt load and the changing landscape of traditional cable and satellite television viewership. We are confident that this is the best path forward for DSG, and we believe this will position us to build and deliver a fan, team and league-friendly modern platform.
This is a financial restructuring, and, through this process, we will continue broadcasting games under our contracts and operating the business as usual. We appreciate your patience throughout this process, and we would like to express our deep gratitude for your ongoing support and partnership.
You can read more about our filing in our press release linked here.
For further information about the restructuring, including any court filings, please refer to materials posted on our claims agent’s website: https://cases.ra.kroll.com/DSG
What about future years? This year TDS had an agreement with the MLB network and we were able to see all the games, which I greatly appreciated. I hope you can continue that agreement.
Joyce, Thank you for your comment and we understand how much our customers enjoy watching the Diamondbacks. TDS is in discussions with the MLB network to distribute games in 2024 and beyond. Cheryl
Thank you, Cheryl. I really appreciate that. I have been watching the Diamondbacks for years and I would certainly miss watching the games.