Diamond Sports Group, the bankrupt operator of regional sports networks, has announced a commercial agreement with streaming giant Amazon that will allow in-market fans to watch their teams through Prime Video.
The agreement extends to Diamond’s 16 RSNs in 31 states and will be available “as an add-on subscription” for those who already have access to Amazon Prime, limited to customers corresponding within each team’s designated geographic area, Diamond announced in a news release. Pricing and a start date have yet to be determined. The agreement is nonexclusive, which means fans can also stream local games through the FanDuel Sports Network website.
It was the first of several positive developments Wednesday for Diamond, which will begin its confirmation hearing in bankruptcy court Thursday morning. Later, Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves withdrew their objection from last Friday, seemingly clearing a path for Diamond to emerge as a restructured business. In a brief filed ahead of its hearing, Diamond also announced it has reached new linear and digital agreements with the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays, along with an amended deal with the Braves.
That leaves the Kansas City Royals — a joint-venture team with partial ownership of its regional sports network and thus not part of the bankruptcy proceedings — as the only unsettled MLB club.
Diamond announced as part of a restructuring support agreement in January that Amazon would become a minority investor, infusing the company with $115 million, while also entering into a commercial arrangement that would provide access to Diamond’s services via Prime Video. Roughly seven months later, while simultaneously negotiating an 11-year media-rights deal with the NBA and the WNBA, Amazon pulled out as an investor.
Diamond, though, still hoped to negotiate a commercial agreement with Amazon — and was finally able to finalize one the day before its confirmation hearing. In a statement, Diamond CEO David Preschlack wrote that the deal with Amazon “creates a tremendous opportunity for us to expand our reach and better connect with viewers.”
“Our partnerships with Prime Video and FanDuel combine with our agreements with team, league and distribution partners to support a transformative reorganization of our…
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