Detroit sports fans can officially say goodbye to Bally Sports.
Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports and broadcasts Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons games, announced Friday that on Monday, its regional sports networks will be rebranded as “FanDuel Sports Network.”
In total, 16 regional sports networks that are operated by Bally Sports will now be branded as FanDuel Sports Network, including in Detroit.
That means “Bally Sports Detroit” will now appear on screens as “FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.”
FanDuel has become one of the leading sports betting and casino brands over the past several years, as sports gambling has grown by leaps and bounds. It is legal in more than half the states around the country, including becoming legal in Michigan in January 2021.
Friday’s announcement comes after years of uncertainty for Diamond and Bally Sports because of a seemingly never-ending bankruptcy battle. In early October in a status conference for federal bankruptcy court, Diamond announced an intention to drop the rights of the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays.
That meant the Tigers either have to renegotiate their deal or find a new TV home for their games in 2025. Since the news came out, there hasn’t been any word about what the Tigers intend to do, and whether they’ll appear on FanDuel Sports Network is not clear at this time.
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Meanwhile, the Red Wings and Pistons reached an agreement with Diamond before the season to continue broadcasting their games for the 2024-25 season.
While the specific financial agreements were not disclosed, both FanDuel and Diamond released statements.
“Collaborating with FanDuel provides a tremendous pathway for Diamond to elevate the fan experience and deepen the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners,” Diamond CEO David Preschlack said. “This partnership reinforces opportunities to further strengthen the close connection our RSNs have with local fans, including enhancing our DTC offering for a growing digital audience. In the meantime, having finalized agreements with the NBA, NHL and our key distributors, we remain focused on moving our business forward and driving value for our team partners and our stakeholders.”
“Partnering with Diamond provides us an opportunity to put the FanDuel brand at the intersection of the nation’s largest group of regional sports networks,” Mike Raffensperger, president of sports for FanDuel, said. “A large cohort of FanDuel customers are devoted RSN viewers and this agreement allows us to further cement the FanDuel brand with sports fans and provides a unique vehicle to reward our users.”
