Diamond Sports plans to drop most of its MLB contracts; the Pac-12 and Mountain West continue their realignment saga; the Big East announces its TV schedule; and Paramount and Nielsen have not renewed their ratings contract.
Diamond Sports to drop MLB contracts
Diamond Sports, the parent company of the Bally Sports RSNs, signaled its intent to drop 11 of its 12 local MLB contracts as part of its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, per multiple reports. The one remaining contract would be with the Atlanta Braves. The contracts with the Guardians, Rangers, and Twins were one-year deals already set to expire before the 2025 season, but the other nine teams were under contract through 2025 or beyond.
Should the contracts be dropped, teams will have look elsewhere for a local distribution platform. The Rangers reportedly expressed interest in creating a team-owned RSN. When the Padres and Diamondbacks contracts were dropped by Diamond during the 2023 season, MLB stepped in to produce the games and distribute them to local cable providers. Several other MLB, NHL, and NBA teams have opted for a combination of over-the-air broadcasts, cable, and streaming to distribute games locally.
The news comes as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently made comments expressing the need for a more national strategy that increases reach, limits blackouts, and makes games more accessible to fans.
Conference realignment continues for Pac-12, Mountain West
Gonzaga will join the Pac-12 Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, it was announced Tuesday. The news was first reported last week by Brett McMurphy of the Action Network. The Bulldogs, who will depart the West Coast Conference after winning 21 of the league’s 37 men’s basketball tournaments, will become the league’s eighth full member, but will continue to not participate in football.
The NCAA has given the Pac-12 two years to rebuild to eight football-playing teams after ten of its twelve members departed this past summer for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC. Last week the league announced the addition of current Mountain West members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State, meaning the league will need to secure a commitment from one more football-playing member to meet this requirement.
The Pac-12 is currently operating with one-year media rights deals with The CW and FOX Sports, which are combining to televise all 13 of the two members’ home football games in 2024, using the resources of the defunct Pac-12 Network.
The depleted Mountain West responded by adding UTEP from Conference USA. The MWC must also find an eighth full member, and, per Yahoo Sports, is in “deep and serious discussions” with Tarleton State, a WAC member that competed in Division II until 2020.
Big East reveals first schedule with new media deal
The Big East Conference has announced the TV schedule for the upcoming men’s basketball season, which will include the debut of new media rights partner NBC Sports.
The new component of the schedule is the 30 games that will stream on Peacock, mostly on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The NBC broadcast network will simulcast two of these games: Notre Dame at Georgetown on November 16 (leading into a Virginia-Notre Dame football game) and Providence at Connecticut on January 5. Peacock will also stream five games from the early rounds of the conference tournament on March 12-13. The Peacock/NBC portion of the deal is beginning a year early.
FOX will air 18 regular-season games, including two games on Friday nights as part of the network’s Friday programming strategy. For the first time, FOX will broadcast both semifinals and the championship game of the conference tournament on March 14-15. FS1 will also carry at least 80 games.
In the final year of its deal, CBS will air two games: Connecticut at Providence and Seton Hall at St. John’s, both on March 1. CBS Sports Network will also carry 20 games. TNT Sports will begin airing games in the 2025-26 season, replacing CBS.
Paramount-Nielsen contract expires
CBS Sports parent company Paramount Global and Nielsen have allowed their audience measurement contract to expire. In a statement Monday, Paramount cited “substantial price increases that are inconsistent with the realities of a changing industry” as reasons for the delay.
According to Variety, While Paramount and Nielsen intend to resume discussions on a new contract, Paramount will rely on alternative measurement services including VideoAmp, which has worked with Paramount since 2021.
The dispute has resulted in CBS not reporting ratings for the Wisconsin-USC college football game last Saturday, the Chiefs-Chargers-led NFL doubleheader on Sunday, and the vice-presidential debate hosted by CBS News on Tuesday.
