• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Colorado
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetMGM Bonus Code
    • Bet365 Bonus Code
    • Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code
    • ESPN BET Promo Code
    • Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetRivers Promo Code
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Colorado
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetMGM Bonus Code
    • Bet365 Bonus Code
    • Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code
    • ESPN BET Promo Code
    • Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetRivers Promo Code
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

Media Notebook: Bally’s Sports Takes Steps To Distance Sinclair From MLB Negotiations

Hoping to resolve a longstanding dispute, the regional sports networks make a management change

Mark Saxon by Mark Saxon
December 7, 2022
in Industry, Sports
detroit baseball

Junfu Han/USA TODAY

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

An ugly dispute between Sinclair Broadcast Group and Major League Baseball appears to have prompted a management change among the Bally’s Sports networks that operate in 19 U.S. markets.

According to a paywalled article at Sportico, Diamond Sports, the sports vertical of Sinclair, held a board meeting Sunday in which members voted to block the Sinclair parent company from having any further input into day-to-day operations of the regional sports networks.

Diamond also has named David Preschlack, a former president of the NBC Sports Regional Networks (RSN) division, to oversee Bally’s sports networks going forward. The two moves taken in tandem are viewed by many industry watchers as a possible solution to the fight between the company and MLB over how much it must pay for streaming rights.

Diamond may have overplayed its hand when it launched Bally Sports+ in June while having the streaming rights to just five MLB teams. Diamond Sports and MLB have been negotiating the deal for more than a year, according toΒ Sports Business Journal, and the sides haven’t made much progress.

High carriage rates have long been a sticking point between RSNs and cable companies, causing some to no longer air games being played by local teams. The Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, are blacked out on most cable networks in Southern California. In addition, many broadcast companies are finding that streaming services aren’t picking up the slack to make up for diminishing cable revenue.

What does any of this have to do with sports gambling? Remember that Bally’s agreed to pay $88 million over 10 years for the right to rename the RSNs owned by Sinclair from FOX Sports to Bally’s just in time for the start of the 2019 baseball season.

The company, which owns 11 casinos across seven states, a horse track and 13 authorized OTB licenses in Colorado, as well as a mobile sportsbook platform, was hoping to gain positive brand exposure in the deal, but instead has been sucked into the rancor between Sinclair and MLB.

Sign Up For The Sports Handle Newsletter!
I also want to receive information and offers about online sportsbooks (eg. odds boost, welcome offers)

Bally’s, meanwhile, has struggled to gain much of a foothold in the mobile betting market nationally. According to Jordan Bender of JMP Securities, Bally’s had just a 0.1% download share in Week 13 of this NFL season. That compares to a 0.2% share in Week 13 of last season.

For all parties, including sports fans in markets with Bally’s RSNs, let’s hope the sides can work out their differences. At least they appear to be trying.

ESPN still mulling sports betting plans

We wrote in this space two weeks ago about Bob Iger’s return to Disney and how some media industry observers were probably overreaching by suggesting it could mean ESPN (which is primarily Disney-owned) no longer plans to engage fully in legal sports betting.

We still don’t have concrete proof that’s the case, but at a conference last week, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro explained that longstanding talks with a sportsbook won’t result in a deal imminently, but also aren’t dead.

β€œWe’ve been exploring. We’ve had conversations with all the usual suspects, looking at what could be the logical next step for us,” Pitaro said. β€œWe are not going to, and I’ve said this repeatedly, we’re not going to create a book. We’re not going to take people’s money. We’re not going to set lines, spreads, and odds, it’s not what we do. The idea of leaning in a bit more here, creating a more seamless experience, it’s something that’s definitely on the table.”

For years now, ESPN has been one of the most watched companies in the gambling sphere, as the sports broadcast giant has the potential to roil the industry considerably whenever it dives in. Stay tuned.

Social media rumblings

Colleague Bennett Conlin has an excellent story on how sports bettors can best use Twitter and other forms of social media. It explores what happens when a team account posts something that proves to be inaccurate, such as when the Chicago Bears’ media relations team tweeted what proved to be inaccurate information about an impending game’s starting quarterback.

Sharp bettors looking to react quickly to gain an edge really have to know which accounts to trust, and that’s getting harder and harder.

This week offered yet another example:Β As Aaron Judge’s free agency heated up in the days and hours before he agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the New York Yankees, veteran MLB reporter Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweeted that Judge β€œappeared” to be heading to the San Francisco Giants.

People who jumped on Giants futures as soon as Heyman’s tweet β€” or someone’s reaction to it β€” hit their timelines probably wish they hadn’t now. The Giants’ biggest hot-stove splash so far was the signing of Mitch Haniger.

Never doubt Carlos Baerga pic.twitter.com/Qf9IxBffbB

— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) December 5, 2022

We also got an example of how people we wouldn’t expect to break news sometimes do. That happened when former Mets player Carlos Baerga broke the news, on Instagram, that Justin Verlander had agreed to a two-year, $86.5 million deal to join the New York Mets, which proved to be entirely accurate.

Bottom line: When your money is at stake, be sure you know whom to trust and when to trust them when it comes to breaking news.

ShareTweetShare
Mark Saxon

Mark Saxon

Mark has been covering sports for more than 30 years at stops that include The Athletic, ESPN.com, the Orange County Register, and Oakland Tribune. A Major League Baseball beat reporter from 1998 to 2021, Mark also has covered college football and basketball extensively and dabbled in nearly every other major sports league. He has been a lifelong sports gambler. He pays special attention to developments in the sports betting world in New York. Contact Mark on Twitter (@markasaxon) or via email at [email protected].

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only.

Related Posts

ESPN Daily Wager set
Industry

ESPN Moves Sports Betting Program ‘Daily Wager’ Back To Bristol Headquarters

August 30, 2023
dave portnoy
Analysis

Industry Insiders: Dave Portnoy One Of The Biggest Winners In Post-PASPA Era

August 17, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

guitar-hotel-hard-rock-florida

Court Decision Clears Way For Hard Rock Bet To Launch In Florida … But Will It?

September 28, 2023
system error

Schuetz: Palpable Errors In Sports Betting, And The Palpably Bad Decisions That Follow

September 25, 2023
taylor swift donna kelce

Will Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Relationship Make Sports Bettors Out Of More Women?

September 28, 2023
have-a-game-plan-bet-responsibly-screenshot

Bettors Know All About Responsible Gambling, But Most Don’t Use Tools

September 12, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Sports Betting in Kentucky

Kentucky Sports Betting – Welcome Offers & Best Legal Sportsbook Apps for 2023

by Dukes Wooters
September 28, 2023

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – All Online Sportsbooks, Bonus Offers, and News 2023

by Brian Pempus
September 29, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
September 6, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
September 1, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
September 6, 2023

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps 2023

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Lottery
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright Β© 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Colorado
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Ohio
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetMGM Bonus Code
    • Bet365 Bonus Code
    • Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code
    • ESPN BET Promo Code
    • Fanatics Sportsbook Promo Code
    • BetRivers Promo Code
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News