Since 2023, the Atlanta Braves have been in the middle of MLB's TV rights mess involving Diamond Sports Group. Diamond declared bankruptcy in 2023 which promptly created a seismic shift in how sports, especially baseball, are broadcast to fans around the country as they try to weasel out of their existing contracts. So far, this hasn't impacted the Braves too much as their games have been broadcasted regularly beyond an unfortunate dispute with Comcast this year that Atlanta fans are still bitter about and rightly so.
However, Diamond's bankruptcy proceedings have an ongoing process with teams' TV deals, including the Braves', and the associated revenue hanging in limbo. The hope for many was that Diamond would fold completely and teams could strike deals either with MLB or other networks to have their games broadcast without all of the uncertainty.
Well, it looks like that could be happening very soon as Diamond Sports' just made a court filing where they indicated that Diamond is looking to get out of almost all of their existing MLB TV deals except one. That one team: the Atlanta Braves.
BREAKING: Diamond says in court it plans to continue broadcasting one — just one — of the remaining teams it has with MLB: the Atlanta Braves.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
The 11 other MLB teams (and 9 still under contract) with Diamond will either have to negotiate a new deal w/Diamond — or go elsewhere.
Diamond carried 12 MLB teams in 2024. Three — Cleveland, Texas and Minnesota — were on 1-year deals.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024
But 9 other teams were under contract for 2025: Anaheim, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Tampa Bay.
Diamond only wants Atlanta.
Braves' TV deal for next year and beyond is now in the hands of a judge after latest court filing
This is obviously brutal and sudden news for the other teams that are currently under Diamond's purview with several of them in the middle of playoff runs right now (sorry Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Cleveland). Diamond getting out of the baseball business has felt inevitable for quite a while now, but getting this news just before the offseason absolutely stinks for all those involved. Ultimately, it will be up to the judge in this case to accept or reject this plan.
As for the Braves, what this means for them in the short and long-term remains unclear. MLB is already balking at this filing from Diamond and it is extremely likely that they are going to fight Diamond's attempts to pick and choose to the death. Whether or not they will be successful in doing so and if the end result of their efforts could mean the Braves will need a new TV deal is anything but certain. For the moment, Atlanta is under contract with Diamond through the 2027 season under not amazing terms, although the end of the contract has been more fruitful.
While the timeline is likely shortened now that Diamond has made this move, it only strengthens the argument that teams should try to create their own networks or only deal with established cable companies when it comes to rights deals. The Braves may be locked in for the next few years if Diamond is successful here, but Atlanta is also owned by a media conglomerate and we could see an Atlanta-are network launched before it is all said and done.