The Nashville Predators’ fans were left in frustration when their Bally Sports South feed of Game 5 of the NHL playoffs series against the Vancouver Canucks was abruptly cut off at 11 p.m. CT on Tuesday night. The reason behind this blackout can be attributed to Comcast, as the company failed to reach an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, the owner of Bally Sports South, to extend their rights deal by the deadline on Tuesday.
Diamond Sports Group expressed disappointment in Comcast’s decision to reject a proposed extension, which would have kept their channels on the air. Despite offering similar terms to those agreed upon with larger distributors, Comcast chose not to engage in meaningful discussions. As a result, fans had to turn to alternative options such as TBS, Fubo, DirectTV, DirectTV streaming or Bally Sports+ to catch the game.
Comcast defended its position by highlighting its flexibility in accommodating Diamond Sports Group during its bankruptcy proceedings, including providing an extension on the Bally Sports Regional Networks last fall. However, Amazon’s recent minority stake acquisition in Diamond Sports Group aimed to help the regional sports network emerge from bankruptcy did not prevent the blackout on Tuesday night.
The situation highlighted the challenges faced by fans and companies in the changing landscape of sports broadcasting. Paul Skrbina, a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators for The Tennessean provided insights into