DirecTV and Diamond Sports Group have reached a multi-year agreement that ensures DirecTV customers and DirecTV Stream subscribers retain access to Diamond’s portfolio of Bally Sports regional sports networks.
While DirecTV and DirecTV Stream offer multiple live TV packages to choose from, only Choice, Ultimate and Premier come with access to regional sports networks. Nothing is changing under the new deal, with Choice remaining a minimum requirement for access to Bally Sports RSNs.
However, even those without a plan that includes any Bally Sports RSNs will be able to now subscribe to the standalone Bally Sports+ product through DirecTV. While this is unlikely to make it any cheaper, it offers DirecTV customers the option to let DirecTV manage the subscription for them.
“DirecTV has always been a sports leader and we continue to see significant opportunity for both our residential and commercial customers in local sports. We want to ensure our customers receive more flexibility, choice and value, and this agreement provides them with those capabilities. Diamond’s regional sports networks remain a key component of our live sports offering, and we look forward to working with Diamond and the many popular MLB, NBA, NHL, and other teams it retains for years to come under this new agreement,” said Rob Thun, Chief Content Officer of DirecTV.
Another notable change is that DirecTV and DirecTV Stream subscribers with access to Bally Sports through their live TV package will soon be able to access the Bally Sports app after authenticating with their DirecTV account.
The deal with DirecTV was announced less day a day after a carriage dispute resulted in Comcast customers losing access to Bally Sports regional networks. This is all also while Diamond Sports Group continues to attempt to emerge from bankruptcy.
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