Major League Baseball (MLB), NBA dan NHL dikatakan sedang menyediakan Data SGP bidaan bersama untuk rangkaian sukan serantau (RSN) yang mempunyai nama Bally (NYSE:BALY).
RSN Bally
Peta RSN Bally. MLB, NBA dan NHL boleh membeli rangkaian tersebut. (Imej: Wall Street Journal )
Pengendali kasino yang berpangkalan di Rhode Island tidak memiliki RSN. Sebaliknya, aset tersebut dikawal oleh Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ:SBGI). Pada November 2020, Bally mengumumkan akan membayar $85 juta dalam tempoh 10 tahun untuk meletakkan namanya di RSN, menandakan salah satu perjanjian pertaruhan media/sukan yang paling heboh pada masa itu.
Nearly two years later, the networks remain in a financially precarious situation. While that has nothing to do with Bally’s, the pro sports leagues see an opportunity to acquire what could be valuable assets at discounted prices.
Sinclair acquired the 21 RSNs from Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) for $10.6 billion in 2019 as part of the latter’s efforts to divest some assets to gain regulatory approval for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. At the time, the networks, which bear the Fox Sports name, were reportedly valued at at least around $16 billion.
But soon after the buyout, cable TV giants, including Charter Communications and Comcast, began slashing the fees they were willing to pay for sports amid rampant cord cutting. Meanwhile, satellite TV provider Dish dropped out of Togel SDY regional sports networks altogether, sparking losses for the so-called RSNs that haven’t let up since, The New York Post reported.
Diamond Sports, which runs the RSNs, is in a financial bind, and creditors could compel the firm to sell the networks to raise capital.
Leagues Could Prop Up Bally’s RSNs
The Post notes a buyout of Diamond Sports could command as much as $3 billion and that Sinclair is willing to fork over equity in the RSN operator to creditors, which would pave the way for a sale to the aforementioned trio of leagues.
The RSNs have broadcasting rights for 12 NHL, 16 MLB, and 17 NBA franchises, so there’s clear reasoning for the leagues to be interested in a deal. How Bally’s fits into the equation remains to be seen.
Financially, the casino operator is on the hook for the $85 million licensing fee, and Sinclair can own up to 30% of the gaming company’s equity if certain objectives are met. It’s unclear if that part of the agreement will remain in place if the RSNs are sold.
It also remains to be seen if the leagues will maintain the relationship with Bally’s, or pursue a more lucrative branding agreement.
RSNs Sports Betting Reach not Impressive
In theory, Bally’s attaching its name to the RSNs can be seen as a marketing tool to drive foot traffic to the company’s casinos and generate more sports wagering clients.
However, the bulk of the RSNs bearing the Bally’s brand is in states where sports betting currently isn’t permitted and is unlikely to be anytime soon.
Even when excluding Bally’s Sports Ohio because sports wagering will soon be permitted in that state, the Arizona and Detroit RSNs and those that reach into Iowa and Indiana, the remaining RSNs’ penetration in states where mobile sports wagering is currently permitted isn’t impressive.
Beberapa RSN lain tersedia di California, Florida, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Texas dan Pengeluaran HK Utah. Kecuali California, dasar pertaruhan sukan semasa negeri lain tidak mungkin berubah dalam tempoh terdekat, dan nasib California diserahkan kepada pengundi.
