According to the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, Major League Baseball is making preparations to take over the broadcasting of the games of several teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, as the regional sports network that currently covers their games moves closer and closer to filing for bankruptcy.
According to the sources, Diamond Sports, which also does business as “Bally Sports,” is planning to file for bankruptcy on March 17 of this year.
According to the rumors, Bally Sports is likely to utilize the processes of bankruptcy to reject the contracts of four different clubs. These teams are the Cleveland Guardians, the Cincy Reds, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the San Diego Padres.
These teams were costing Bally Sports millions of dollars more than the company made from advertising and television subscriptions combined.
According to the New York Post, Major League Baseball will take over the local broadcasts and make them available for free streaming on their app in local cities while they negotiate with their cable companies for lower prices.
Fans are now able to make a payment using the MLB app in order to view games from markets outside of their own, but they have never been able to stream Any games from Cleveland.