Diamond Sports Group Programming Agreement Expired

Bally Sports is still in bankruptcy. RSN's in general are struggling. They are no longer a guaranteed way to print money. There are fewer and fewer non-viewing subscribers covering the tiny number of actual viewers. The ever increasing costs have forced many people to cut the cord.

Story about alternate sources here:

https://cordcuttersnews.com/how-to-watch-bally-sports-rsns-now-that-comcast-is-dropping-the-local-rsns/

I'm jumping in here to make my voice heard.

Bally is one of the biggest reasons I maintain Xfinity service. I don't want the "credit" you told me I'd get in an email today, I want you to get a deal done with Bally. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Suddenly, I can't watch the Tigers and I'm told I'll get a credit because of it??  Really??? This is a deal-breaker. If Xfinity doesn't get this deal done, I will no longer be an Xfinity customer. It's that simple.

Comcast reps said the upgrade cost for the sports like Bally was more than $50/month.

Cheapskates offering $8 - $10 refund.

I will be calling Comcast today to cancel service and sign up for DirectTV where Bally is still broadcast.   This is ridiculous.  I am so tired of these semi-monopolies arbitrarily discontinuing to broadcast channels when they can't negotiate terms.   Along with the multitude of streaming services I now have to subscribe to in order to watch the shows/events I want, I'm paying more than ever for home entertainment.  This has to stop.   Xfinity needs to get its act together.    Also, not sure if anyone has noticed, but I'm having a hard time finding contact information for anyone at Xfinity to whom I can formally submit a complaint.    Seems like everything is automated/self service.  I'm definitely not getting my $350 a month worth from these clowns.   

@miniappleman​ Comcast will be giving us very little. They will increase things like Mobile service and cell phone insurance just like the email I received from Comcast yesterday.

Hello, @user_ohh173

Unfortunately, our programming agreement with DSG has expired. We have made a number of reasonable offers that DSG hasn't accepted. This means we no longer have the rights to carry their channels, including your local Bally Sports network. The loss of this channel will result in savings that we’ll pass along to you, and you’ll see an automatic credit in your bill in the coming weeks. 

Great sports programming, including NBA, NHL, and MLB national coverage, is still available with Xfinity. Just say “Sports” into your Xfinity Voice Remote to explore your options. You can also press “C” on your Xfinity Voice Remote to go to Sports Zone and see available sports content. 

Another thing that [Edited: "Language"] is that you can't even subscribe to Bally Sports+ and get the Braves.  Fubo here I come.

@user_qv9f40​ I completely understand wanting to have access to the programming you want to watch. With us negotiating with channel providers, we do want to keep customers up to date on any changes to program agreements and hope to come to an agreement in the future. 

To check on programming agreement changes we did create a website you can view for updates: https://www.xfinity.com/programmingchanges. 

Once my contract is up with Xfinity, I will be looking elsewhere to watch or stream tv.  I'm not blaming wither party, but Xfinity clams that the deal Bally's is looking for is too much and that it's to our benefit.  Yet, come 2025, Xfinity will raise their costs. even after these continue to lose subscribers.  In a few years, everyone who left with Xfinity will continue to pay higher costs, so Xfinity can maintain their revenue flow with a smaller population. 

Agreed. I pay way too much for xfinity as it is, and the sole reason I’ve kept their service is for the Bally sports network. 

is there a plan to provide coverage for the atlanta braves?

I am extremely disappointed! I will be dropping my Xfinity service. I also pay an extra $39.47 per month for MLB extra innings, but the Braves games are blacked out, so it is useless. 

Looking for new carrier with bally

Why is it that xfinity Comcast is only provider that couldn’t come to an agreement with Bally! Extremely livid with xfinity

Hey Xfinity.  Get back to work & figure out a deal with Bally Sports.  If I have to go to another provider to watch my sport programs, it will be at your expense, as I will be cutting the cord if I have to pay for yet another provider.

As a loyal 11+-year Platinum customer, I want to register a large protest that we have lost Bally Sports. I'm an Atlanta Braves fan, and access to their games is one of the primary reasons I stay with Xfinity. There has to be a viable solution to this problem. For the sake of your customers, get this worked out, please!

Agreed. I just lost my Tigers games. 

I've had this cable service for 36 years. I keep it to see Detroit Tigers and Wings. I have no use for anything else on their menu. I'll give them a week. Then I'll go to Direct tv. They seem to be able to negotiate a contract.

What Comcast isn't saying is whether they'll keep negotiating or are just giving up on carrying Bally's like Hulu Live and YoutubeTV did. Ballys did just get new contracts with DirecTV, Cox, and Charter so there are deals that they'll take. 

No Detroit Tiger games! I'm cancelling Comcast/Xfinity! BYE!!!

Hey give Comcast a break. It’s hard to live on 45 billion in profits like they had last year. :/

I think they want to shed as many legacy cable TV customers as possible. Internet, especially business internet, is more lucrative with less overhead. 

In Detroit it is being reported that Comcast wants to move Bally Sports to a higher priced tier and Bally wants it left on the lower tier.  Comcast constantly removes channels, our package used to include starz, but raise rather than lower their rates.  The credit they are applying is the regional sports fee.  They are once again removing a channel without lowering the price of the cable package itself.  We are switching to Direct TV to see our beloved Tigers play.  Poor service and greed are the business model followed by Comcast.

Why are you angry at Comcast and not Bally? Bally is in bankruptcy, and still seems like they can ask for the sun and the moon. They almost certainly are demanding EVERYONE continue paying for their networks, even though only a teeny tiny fraction actually watch it. Comcast knows that, and for every sports fanatic who leaves, they will probably keep hundreds of others due to lower prices.

Comcast may even have offered to make it a separate subscription, but Bally will have no part of that because they will see a giant revenue loss.

They cut off the Preds game in the Third period. It wasn’t even midnight, Just shut it down mid game. So disappointed in them. and can’t talk to anyone about it just get voice mail run around.  

They're not gonna lower the price that much. Angry cause they cut off mid game.

Usually when channel and provider have these disputes. There's announcements ahead of time both parties stating their case, Nothing This time just channel gone. 

As a long-time Comcast customer, I am extremely upset by Xfinity's decision to cut their RSN feed of Bally Sports Detroit. I have remained with Comcast/Infinity for TV viewing, despite the high cost, because of certain programming options that includes access to Detroit Tigers & Red Wing games. I believe in supporting our local broadcast teams over MLB that have no connection to our city. Cutting ties because you cannot come to a mutual agreement on your carrier fees in such a large sports community as Detroit and its surrounding areas is unacceptable. If Xfinity cannot resolve this issue shortly, I will be cutting my ties with your services.  Xfinity has been steadily losing customers, so you cannot convince me that it cannot find a cost/benefit relationship to working out a mutually agreed upon arrangement going forward with Bally Sports as it meanders its way through their current financial crisis. The loss of revenue in just the Metro Detroit area, caused by additional customers canceling their services, when there are so many other TV viewing options available today is in my opinion (as a person with a business management degree) a flawed business strategy that misunderstands the company's viewing audience and their demands. 

Dropping my cable because of this. The only thing YouTubeTv doesn’t have is Regional Sports Networks. Now that you stupidly took away your one advantage, there is zero reason to give you any money. Bye Xfinity!

Cannot believe Comcast has taken away Bally Sports Detroit. This is one of the main reasons I have maintained cable TV service. I'm signing up for the one-week Fubu trial and if BSD isn't back by the time it ends, I'm canceling my cable package and moving to Fubo.

Agreed!! Not happy at all and an xfinity customer forover 20 years

Comcast is 100% to blame here. Bally and AT&T, Spectrum and a host of smaller providers are still airing Bally channels. Bally has contracts with 11 MLB teams to broadcast games.

the only answer here is to move to another provider or just cancel Comcast out of spite. Greedy corporations.

Possibly Comcast does not realize the extensiveness of "Braves County". I have been a customer for about 25 years but will change providers if this is not resolved expeditiously. It is intolerable that such a huge viewer group is denied access to the Braves....a lack of public responsibility. 

Agree that this was a horrible decision by Comcast - I understand decisions need to be made from a business perspective but I am terribly disappointed thiw Comcast has handled this. They knew long before they announced what action they were going to take and should have notified their customers so we could take steps to continue to have Braves coverage- guess they think they are too big to be worried. If not resolved , hope many of us do take the steps to cancel Xfinity cable service

Everyone is saying Bally is to blame, but I have to agree. This isn't the first time there has been a dispute and xfinity involved. 

When 2 elephants fight (Diamond/Comcast) the grass loses (Sports fans)

I am looking to part ways with Xfinity if they can't work this out in the next few days! So disappointed in their actions to not leave Bally on the air while they negotiate.

For every sports fanatic that leaves over this, Comcast has a better reason to NOT make a deal with Bally. Plus, they will probably retain hundreds more who will like the $8-$10 discount for a channel they NEVER watched.

I've been a Comcast/Xfinity customer for 30 years.  They have always been a aggravating company to deal with.  If they don't start showing Bally Sports soon, I will be done with Xfinity.

I am about two days away from cancelling. Will cancel cable and internet just because they lost Bally's. They blame it on Diamond Sports group but, if they wanted to, they could make a deal.

I'll give Comcast a week to get baseball back on, and then it is off to another service. This is simply ridiculous. The only sport I regularly try to follow is Braves baseball. Bally is one of perhaps a half-dozen channels that we even care about. 

Hello @user_d4o4r5, Thanks so much for taking a moment out of your day to leave a post on our community forum. Comcast pays programmers to bring our customers the entertainment, information, and sports they want. We work to negotiate fair terms in order to ensure the greatest value for our customers given all the ways content can be accessed today. Unfortunately, our programming agreement with DSG has expired. We have made a number of reasonable offers that DSG hasn't accepted. We’ve been flexible with DSG, who is in bankruptcy proceedings, but have been unable to reach an agreement that’s fair for our customers. This means we no longer have the rights to carry their channels, including your local Bally Sports network. The loss of this channel will result in savings that we’ll pass along to you, and you’ll see an automatic credit in your bill in the coming weeks. 

Great sports programming, including NBA, NHL, and MLB national coverage, is still available with Xfinity, user_1bskzm.  Just say “Sports” into your Xfinity Voice Remote to explore your options. You can also press “C” on your Xfinity Voice Remote to go to Sports Zone and see available sports content.  Nationally televised games will continue to be carried by TBS, FOX, CBS, FS1, MAX, ESPN and Apple TV. Check your local listings for upcoming games or contests.