Bally Sports and MSG RSN Are Reportedly Preparing For Bankruptcy

[glrush]

Diamond Sports completes improbable climb out of bankruptcy

After 20 months navigating through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Diamond Sports Group has successfully emerged intact with their RSN business.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[Bruce]

Diamond Sports completes improbable climb out of bankruptcy

After 20 months navigating through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Diamond Sports Group has successfully emerged intact with their RSN business.

awfulannouncing.com

From that article-

According to financial projections filed during today's hearing, Diamond expects streaming revenue to rise from $63 million this year to $580 million in 2027.

No way that will happen, just not enough interest.

 

[prushing]

Diamond Sports completes improbable climb out of bankruptcy

After 20 months navigating through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Diamond Sports Group has successfully emerged intact with their RSN business.

awfulannouncing.com

That's a lot of expense contracts when they expect to still be losing revenue in 2027 versus today, losing ~$800 million in linear and only gaining ~$500 million in streaming.

Round it to $600 million, so $50/mth.

~$10 from X million streaming​

$# from X DTC streaming​

​

$10 x 3 million streaming (Fubo, DTV, anyone else)​

$40 x .5 million DTC​

​

I could see them getting streaming part but I don't see how they pick up much from DTC. The DTC offerings have to be in market only as MLB.tv has the rights for out of market.

 

[Bruce]

That's a lot of expense contracts when they expect to still be losing revenue in 2027 versus today, losing ~$800 million in linear and only gaining ~$500 million in streaming.

Round it to $600 million, so $50/mth.

~$10 from X million streaming​

$# from X DTC streaming​

​

$10 x 3 million streaming (Fubo, DTV, anyone else)​

$40 x .5 million DTC​

​

I could see them getting streaming part but I don't see how they pick up much from DTC. The DTC offerings have to be in market only as MLB.tv has the rights for out of market.

I knew they would do that, claim that they hoped to make so much from streaming, but it would be unrealistic.

First, there is very little chance they would get many cord cutters to sign up, if cord cutters cared about the RSNs, they would of never become Cord Cutters.

Second, if we read the ratings, it shows very little interest in the RSNs.

I will use the Atlanta 77,000 Households rating as provided by Nielsen and Forbes.

If all of them lose access via paid live tv, signed up with a Diamond Streaming Service ( or Amazon/whatever), that is 77,000 x $20 a month.

That is only $1.54M a month, $18.48M a year, not even 20% of the Braves contract.

So, if they lost all of their per sub fees, would need a little less then 500,000 streaming subscribers, just to cover the Braves rights fees.

No way will that happen.

 

[lordodogg]

View: https://x.com/brewers/status/1874198991182979540?s=46&t=ipwp-zYuZiSEh9YQRuRmXg

 

[lordodogg]

Reds returning to FanDuel Sports Net for 2025

The Reds will return to FanDuel Sports Network for their TV broadcasts in 2025 after having joined MLB Network's platform in November.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

 

[Bruce]

MSG Networks is now $829 Million in debt, trying a hail mary, so to avoid bankruptcy.

Exclusive | MSG Networks in talks to avoid bankruptcy — possibly with help of Amazon: sources

MSG Networks, the embattled cable TV station that airs New York Knicks and Rangers games, is in talks to reach a deal to avoid bankruptcy as soon as Friday.

nypost.com

 

[Don in CT]

MSG Networks is now $829 Million in debt, trying a hail mary, so to avoid bankruptcy.

Exclusive | MSG Networks in talks to avoid bankruptcy — possibly with help of Amazon: sources

MSG Networks, the embattled cable TV station that airs New York Knicks and Rangers games, is in talks to reach a deal to avoid bankruptcy as soon as Friday.

nypost.com

So Dolan owns the network and the teams and is bankrupting one to feed the other.

 

[comfortably_numb]

So Dolan owns the network and the teams and is bankrupting one to feed the other.

 

[Bruce]

So Dolan owns the network and the teams and is bankrupting one to feed the other.

Yep, also trying everything he can to avoid bankruptcy, because the creditors could own MSG at that point.

What is going on with MSG, also happened to Ballys ( now Fan Duel), not enough subscriber's fees due to cord cutting and Pay TV Providers no longer carrying the channel, then combine that with the debt most of these channels hold, just a total disaster.

No matter what they do, revenue will continue to decrease as cord cutting continues.

 

[Don in CT]

Yep, also trying everything he can to avoid bankruptcy, because the creditors could own MSG at that point.

What is going on with MSG, also happened to Ballys ( now Fan Duel), not enough subscriber's fees due to cord cutting and Pay TV Providers no longer carrying the channel, then combine that with the debt most of these channels hold, just a total disaster.

No matter what they do, revenue will continue to decrease as cord cutting continues.

Amazon will most likely take a huge chunk of the network. I do wonder about Gotham Sports. It's a joint venture with the Yankees.

 

[Bruce]

Amazon will most likely take a huge chunk of the network.

But it still needs subscribers, Amazon taking control does not make Optimum start carrying the channel again, or to slow down cord cutting and the per subscribers fees that are lost with that.

I do wonder about Gotham Sports. It's a joint venture with the Yankees.

I have read that the streaming service has an estimated low number of subscribers, but do not have actual numbers, but if the subscribers' count were good, they would be making the info public.

If one of the cable services drops YES, they would be having the same issues as MSG, YES is carrying a lot of debt also, due to the purchase and take over of the channel in 2019, believe the total costs was about $3.4 Billion.

Found it-

New York Yankees Buy Back YES Network For $3.47 Billion

The baseball team will be the lead owner and run the RSN.

www.forbes.com

 

[Don in CT]

But it still needs subscribers, Amazon taking control does not make Optimum start carrying the channel again, or to slow down cord cutting and the per subscribers fees that are lost with that.



I have read that the streaming service has an estimated low number of subscribers, but do not have actual numbers, but if the subscribers' count were good, they would be making the info public.

If one of the cable services drops YES, they would be having the same issues as MSG, YES is carrying a lot of debt also, due to the purchase and take over of the channel in 2019, believe the total costs was about $3.4 Billion.

Found it-

New York Yankees Buy Back YES Network For $3.47 Billion

The baseball team will be the lead owner and run the RSN.

www.forbes.com

The Yankees has first rights to buy back the network if Fox Sold it. They went in with Amazon and Sinclair. The Yankees have majority stake. Now the Yankees are more successful than the Knicks and Rangers so they have a bigger cash flow. I don't think YES is in trouble currently. As long as the team is good people watch.

 

[Bruce]

The Yankees has first rights to buy back the network if Fox Sold it. They went in with Amazon and Sinclair. The Yankees have majority stake.

I know all that.

Now the Yankees are more successful than the Knicks and Rangers so they have a bigger cash flow. I don't think YES is in trouble currently. As long as the team is good people watch.

Being successful does not mean per subscribers fees, if Optimum dropped them also, when the contract is up, that is 1 Million per sub fees gone, if that fee is $10 a month, $10 Million per month, $120 Million per year.

Then the channel is still affected by cord cutting.

In 2017, Cable/Satellite had 100 Million Subscribers, all of them had the RSNs.

Now, due to Cord Cutting and Providers dropping the RSNs, about 30-35 Million nationwide still get the RSNs and then pay the per sub fees.

That affects YES, MSG, Diamond and all the others.

 

[Don in CT]

The Yankees fan base would be up and arms to lose YES. Not many teams have that pull. Sure the small market teams are SOL. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers have more power over the providers.

 

[osu1991]

The Yankees fan base would be up and arms to lose YES. Not many teams have that pull. Sure the small market teams are SOL. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers have more power over the providers.

As I remember the Dodgers rsn couldn't get a deal done to be on all the mvpd's a few years ago. Wasn't it contained to Comcast only?

 

[Don in CT]

As I remember the Dodgers rsn couldn't get a deal done to be on all the mvpd's a few years ago. Wasn't it contained to Comcast only?

The Dodgers were charging extreme prices above everyone else.

 

[Bruce]

The Yankees fan base would be up and arms to lose YES.

The average ratings for NY Yankees on YES in 2023, was only a 2.23, which was down 25.4% from 2022.

What that means, Yankees games averaged 284,000 viewers in the N.Y. DMA in 2023.

A population of over 20 million people, that means less than 1.5% of the total NY DMA population viewed the games

MLB Regional Sports Networks See 7% Gain For 2023 Season

The 2023 television ratings for each of the regional sports networks in Major League Baseball show an increase of +7%. Here's details for each.

www.forbes.com

Yankees ratings just beyond NYC provide YES Network a noticeable boost

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

Not many teams have that pull. Sure the small market teams are SOL. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers have more power over the providers.

Based on the above numbers, they no longer have any pull.

If they did, Dish, Hulu Live, YouTube TV, etc would still, at least, carry the RSNs from the bigger DMAs.

YouTube TV is the only TV Provider to show massive growth, now at 9 Million, have overtaken Dish Network with Sling added in, now the #4 Provider.

Yet they do not have RSNs, except for a few NBCs, yet not having them has not hurt their growth.

This year, will overtake DirecTV, who, as of the 3rd Quarter 2024, has 9.7 Million Subscribers ( all four services added together, Satellite, Stream, by internet, Uverse).

DirecTV, when they merged with Uverse, had 26 Million total subscribers, they carry every RSN, yet have lost over 16 Million subscribers.

The RSNs are not important to the majority, they just do not care.

 

[comfortably_numb]

The Sphere in Vegas is tied up in this MSG mess.

https://www.casino.org/news/sphere-entertainments-msg-could-be-rescued-by-amazon/

 

[Bruce]

Reading the NY Post's article in depth, some highlights-

Dolan has until Friday, lenders have said this is the final extension.

MSG Network defaulted on the $830 Million debt/loan back in October.

MSG Networks' own streaming service, the Gotham Sports App, charges $29.99 per month and has not attracted a large subscriber base, sources said

Optimum does/did pay $10 per month in per sub fees as I guessed above, no wonder it was dropped, for a Channel that only gets 1.5% of the total NY City Population watching.

MSGN is losing money party because it is paying $187 million in 2025 to broadcast Knicks and Rangers games.

Sphere Entertainment would love for MSGN to go away, it is hurting the company.

From the article-"When you drop an RSN, you lose about 5% of your customers but your revenue increases nearly 20% since you save money by not paying for that channel," the RSN executive said.

Fios is giving strong signals it will also drop the channel when the contract is up in September, unless some major concessions are made.

If Altice/Optimum makes a deal and moves the channel to a Premium tier, it would hit MSGN's bottom line by as much as 50%, since the majority of Optimum's roughly 1 million subscribers in the New York City area would no longer pay for the channel, an RSN executive working for another network told The Post.