{ "schemaVersion": "1.3.0", "language": "en", "slug": "bally-sports", "brandKey": "ballysports", "canonicalName": "Bally Sports", "canonicalUrl": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports", "jsonUrl": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports/json", "markdownUrl": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports/md", "name": "FanDuel Sports Network", "oneLiner": "Former United States regional sports television network group that operated under the Fox Sports brand from 1996 until its 2021 rebranding as Bally Sports.", "summary": "FanDuel Sports Network is a group of regional sports networks in the United States that distributes local coverage of professional, collegiate, and high-school sports. The business was known for most of its earlier history as Fox Sports Networks, or Fox Sports Net, before being acquired from the Walt Disney Company by Sinclair Broadcast Group through its Diamond Sports Group subsidiary in 2019. The network group subsequently adopted the Bally Sports name in 2021 under a naming-rights arrangement with casino operator Bally's Corporation, and was renamed FanDuel Sports Network in 2024.\n\nThe network system developed from regional channels associated with the Prime Network and SportsChannel during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1996, News Corporation and Liberty Media consolidated the Prime Sports outlets under the Fox Sports Net identity. The later addition of SportsChannel properties and other regional channels created a broad collection of locally focused sports networks. These channels typically held television rights for teams in Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and college conferences, while also carrying studio shows, pregame and postgame programs, coaches' shows, and local sports news.\n\nDisney's 2017 agreement to acquire most of 21st Century Fox created a regulatory requirement that the regional sports operations be divested. Sinclair announced a $10.6 billion agreement to acquire the networks in 2019, and the transaction closed later that year. The channels temporarily retained Fox branding under a transitional license. Sinclair then sought a new commercial identity that could support increased digital distribution and sports-betting-related content. In November 2020, it announced a ten-year naming-rights deal with Bally's Corporation. The regional channels relaunched as Bally Sports on March 31, 2021, with several markets consolidated or renamed.\n\nThe Bally Sports era included an effort to develop direct-to-consumer distribution. Bally Sports Plus was introduced in selected markets in June 2022 and expanded nationally within the network footprint in September 2022. The service was intended to supplement traditional cable and satellite carriage, although the business continued to face disputes with distributors and declining economics in the regional sports network sector.\n\nDiamond Sports Group entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2023 after missing a substantial interest payment. During the restructuring, it missed or renegotiated payments to several team and conference rights holders, lost selected local rights, and closed Bally Sports Arizona and Bally Sports San Diego. Rights for some teams moved to Major League Baseball, broadcast television stations, competing streaming services, or team-controlled platforms. The proceedings also produced proposed changes to distribution agreements, reductions in rights fees, and a plan to separate Diamond from Sinclair.\n\nIn October 2024, the channels were rebranded FanDuel Sports Network. Diamond later emerged from bankruptcy on January 2, 2025, adopting the corporate name Main Street Sports Group. The FanDuel identity represented a new naming-rights arrangement and an attempt to reposition the regional sports portfolio after the loss of multiple team contracts. The network's long-term status remains dependent on rights renewals, distributor relationships, streaming economics, and the financial condition of its parent company.\n\nFox Sports Networks (FSN) was the collective brand used for a large group of regional sports networks in the United States. The network group emerged from the consolidation and rebranding of several earlier regional sports television businesses, particularly the Prime Network and related Prime Sports affiliates. News Corporation, which had established the Fox broadcast network and expanded into sports programming during the 1990s, formed a partnership with TCI's Liberty Media and announced the Fox Sports Net identity in 1996. Existing Prime-branded channels were relaunched under the new name, while additional regional services were created or acquired.\n\nThe networks were designed to complement national sports outlets such as ESPN by concentrating on local and regional rights. Individual channels typically carried live games involving professional, collegiate, and sometimes high-school teams located in their designated market areas. Programming also included local sports news, studio discussion, analysis, documentaries, magazine shows, and overflow feeds used when simultaneous events created scheduling conflicts. Because rights agreements differed by market, the composition and editorial identity of each affiliate varied substantially. The group therefore functioned less like a single uniform channel than like a branded federation of regional outlets.\n\nDuring its development, FSN absorbed or aligned with several important regional sports properties. News Corporation acquired SportSouth from Turner and relaunched it as Fox Sports South. In 1997, a transaction involving Cablevision and NBC's sports properties brought additional regional channels and sports assets into the Fox Sports structure through National Sports Partners. SportsChannel affiliates were progressively integrated, while ownership arrangements in networks serving the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Florida, Chicago, and the Bay Area changed repeatedly as media companies traded regional rights and channel stakes. Some affiliates remained jointly owned or operated through partnerships rather than being wholly owned by Fox.\n\nLiberty Media sold its interest in Fox Sports Net and FX to News Corporation in 1999, making News Corporation the sole owner of the principal FSN operation. Subsequent transactions altered the portfolio further. Fox Sports Chicago ceased operations in 2006 after losing important local team rights to Comcast SportsNet Chicago. News Corporation sold several western and mountain-region networks to Liberty Media in 2006, and those channels later became part of DirecTV Sports Networks and were rebranded Root Sports. Other channels left the Fox family after ownership stakes were sold to Comcast or Cablevision. The regional services were increasingly referred to as FSN and later Fox Sports Local, although the Fox Sports identity remained central.\n\nThe network group's headquarters moved from Los Angeles to Houston in 2012. In 2013, the FSN properties became part of 21st Century Fox after News Corporation separated its publishing and entertainment operations. The proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney created a regulatory problem because Disney already owned ESPN. The United States Department of Justice required Disney to divest the regional sports networks, leading to a sale process involving numerous prospective buyers. Disney ultimately agreed to sell the networks, excluding the YES Network, to Sinclair Broadcast Group through Diamond Sports Group. The transaction closed on August 22, 2019.\n\nThe channels continued to use Fox Sports branding temporarily under a transitional licensing arrangement. Sinclair later partnered with Bally's Corporation, and on March 31, 2021, the former FSN channels were relaunched as Bally Sports networks. This ended Fox Sports Networks as an operating brand after approximately twenty-five years. The regional sports channels themselves continued in modified form, but the FSN identity became defunct.\n\nThe Bally Sports era included an effort to develop direct-to-consumer distribution. Bally Sports Plus launched in selected markets in June 2022 and expanded nationwide across the network footprint in September 2022. The service was intended to complement traditional cable and satellite carriage, though the business continued to face distributor disputes and a declining regional sports network industry economy.\n\nDiamond Sports Group entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2023 after missing a large interest payment. During restructuring, it missed or renegotiated payments to multiple teams and league rights holders, lost some local rights, and shut down Bally Sports Arizona and Bally Sports San Diego. Some team rights moved to Major League Baseball, broadcast stations, competing streaming services, or team-controlled platforms. The proceedings also raised the prospect of modified distribution agreements, reduced rights fees, and a separation of Diamond from Sinclair.", "aliases": [ "Fox Sports Networks", "Fox Sports Net", "FSN", "Prime Sports networks", "FanDuel Sports Network", "Fox Sports Local", "福克斯体育网络" ], "entityType": "corporate_brand", "l1Slug": "communication-services", "l1": "Communication Services", "l2Slug": "media-entertainment", "l2": "Media & Entertainment", "l3Slug": "hotels-restaurants-leisure", "l3": "Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure", "l4Slug": "online-betting", "l4": "Online Betting & Gaming", "country": "United States", "headquarters": "United States", "operatingMarkets": [ "United States" ], "foundedYear": 1996, "founder": null, "website": "https://www.ballysports.com", "websiteHost": "ballysports.com", "parentCompany": "Main Street Sports Group", "owner": "Main Street Sports Group", "groupOrHouse": "Main Street Sports Group", "listedStatus": "private", "ticker": null, "status": "unknown", "enrichmentStatus": "rich_ok", "typicalProducts": [ "Regional sports television broadcasting", "Live professional sports coverage", "College sports programming", "Local sports news and studio programming", "Direct-to-consumer sports streaming", "Regional live sports television", "Local sports news and analysis", "Collegiate sports broadcasts", "Professional team telecasts", "Sports documentaries and magazine programming", "Overflow and alternate regional feeds" ], "flagshipOfferings": [ "FanDuel Sports Network regional channels", "Former Bally Sports regional networks", "Bally Sports Plus, the former direct-to-consumer streaming service", "Local team game broadcasts and related studio programming", "Market-specific professional sports broadcasts", "Regional college sports coverage", "Local sports studio programming", "Fox Sports national programming distributed through regional affiliates" ], "positioning": "A local and regional sports-media platform focused on live team coverage, regional sports rights, complementary studio programming, and digital access.\n\nA market-focused regional sports broadcasting group built to provide local rights coverage and complement national sports networks.", "wikiPathKey": "FanDuel_Sports_Network", "wikiTitle": "FanDuel Sports Network", "wikidataId": "Q106443814", "sameAs": [ "https://www.ballysports.com", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network", "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106443814" ], "claimStatus": "unverified", "updatedAt": "2026-10-16T17:32:52.642Z", "generatedAt": "2026-08-21T22:25:33.810Z", "executives": [ { "name": "Chris Ripley", "title": "Chief executive officer, Sinclair Broadcast Group", "isCurrent": false, "startYear": null, "endYear": null } ], "news": [ { "headline": "Diamond Sports Group exits bankruptcy as Main Street Sports Group", "year": 2025, "summary": "The reorganized company emerged from bankruptcy and changed its corporate name to Main Street Sports Group.", "tags": [ "bankruptcy", "other" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Channels are renamed FanDuel Sports Network", "year": 2024, "summary": "The Bally Sports channels adopted the FanDuel Sports Network name during Diamond Sports Group's restructuring.", "tags": [ "other" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Diamond Sports Group files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy", "year": 2023, "summary": "The owner of Bally Sports sought bankruptcy protection after missing an interest payment and facing pressure from declining regional sports economics and rights obligations.", "tags": [ "bankruptcy" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Diamond loses selected team and conference rights during bankruptcy", "year": 2023, "summary": "Several teams and sports-rights partners ended, rejected, or renegotiated agreements as Diamond missed payments or entered restructuring negotiations.", "tags": [ "lawsuit", "bankruptcy" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Bally Sports Arizona shuts down", "year": 2023, "summary": "After losing local rights to several Arizona teams, the regional channel ceased operations.", "tags": [ "bankruptcy" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Bally Sports Plus launches", "year": 2022, "summary": "The group introduced a direct-to-consumer streaming service in selected markets before expanding it across the network footprint.", "tags": [ "product_launch" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Regional networks relaunch as Bally Sports", "year": 2021, "summary": "The former Fox Sports regional channels adopted the Bally Sports identity under a naming-rights agreement with Bally's Corporation.", "tags": [ "other" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Fox Sports Networks channels become Bally Sports", "year": 2021, "summary": "A branding partnership with Bally's Corporation took effect, replacing the Fox Sports identity across the former regional network group.", "tags": [ "product_generation" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "headline": "Sinclair agrees to acquire Fox regional sports networks", "year": 2019, "summary": "Sinclair announced through Diamond Sports Group an agreement valued at $10.6 billion to acquire the regional sports networks being divested in connection with Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox.", "tags": [ "mna", "regulation" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "headline": "Disney completes acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets", "year": 2019, "summary": "The regional sports networks were acquired by Disney as part of its 21st Century Fox transaction, subject to a Department of Justice divestiture requirement.", "tags": [ "regulation", "mna" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "headline": "News Corporation and Liberty Media announce the Fox Sports Net brand", "year": 1996, "summary": "The Prime Sports regional networks were designated for rebranding under the Fox Sports Net name, establishing the brand used across the regional sports portfolio.", "tags": [ "other" ], "isScandal": false, "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" } ], "encyclopedia": { "history": "The network group traces its roots to regional sports channels created during the expansion of cable television in the 1980s and early 1990s. Several of its predecessors operated as Prime Network or SportsChannel affiliates, carrying local professional and college games that were not generally available on national networks.\n\nIn 1996, News Corporation and Liberty Media announced that the Prime Sports channels would be brought together under the Fox Sports Net brand. The relaunch took place on November 1, 1996. The following year, News Corporation and Liberty Media acquired a minority stake in Cablevision and NBC's SportsChannel operations. Those channels were subsequently integrated into Fox Sports Net, expanding the system's geographic reach. Additional acquisitions, launches, affiliations, and closures eventually produced a portfolio of more than twenty regional networks.\n\nThe next major change followed Disney's proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2017. Because Disney already controlled ESPN and other sports assets, United States regulators required the Fox regional sports operations to be sold. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired the networks through Diamond Sports Group in a transaction announced in 2019 and completed on August 22 of that year. Twenty-one networks were included. They continued using Fox Sports branding temporarily under a licensing arrangement with Fox Corporation.\n\nSinclair later pursued a new identity and a broader commercial strategy. In November 2020, it announced a ten-year naming-rights agreement with Bally's Corporation. The channels relaunched as Bally Sports on March 31, 2021. Fox Sports Carolinas and Fox Sports Tennessee were discontinued as separate channels, while several other outlets received names intended to align more closely with their local markets. The new presentation also introduced graphics and programming concepts designed to accommodate sports-betting information.\n\nThe company expanded beyond traditional pay television with Bally Sports Plus. The service began a limited rollout in June 2022 and received a broader launch in September of that year. This strategy reflected the industry's movement toward direct subscriptions, but the regional sports model remained dependent on expensive team-rights contracts and carriage payments from cable, satellite, and virtual distributors.\n\nDiamond's financial strain became public in February 2023, when it failed to make a $140 million interest payment and entered a grace period. It filed for Chapter 11 protection on March 14, 2023. The bankruptcy produced disputes over rights payments involving MLB, the NBA, the NHL, college sports distributors, and individual teams. Some contracts were reduced, rejected, or allowed to expire. In several markets, teams moved games to broadcast stations or team-operated streaming products. Bally Sports Arizona closed in October 2023, and Bally Sports San Diego later ceased operations after a settlement involving the San Diego Padres.\n\nDiamond and Sinclair negotiated a restructuring that included a proposed separation of Diamond from Sinclair and a settlement payment to Sinclair. A proposed Amazon investment and integration of the streaming product with Prime Video did not ultimately provide a lasting solution. By 2024, the company had also faced distributor disputes involving Comcast, Midco, and Optimum, although Comcast later reached a new carriage agreement.\n\nThe network group was renamed FanDuel Sports Network in October 2024. Diamond Sports Group emerged from bankruptcy on January 2, 2025, and became Main Street Sports Group. The renamed company inherited a smaller and more contested rights portfolio. Its continuing role depends on retaining local sports contracts, reaching sustainable agreements with distributors, and balancing linear television with direct streaming.\n\nFox Sports Networks developed from the competitive regional sports cable market that existed before the Fox brand entered the sector. SportsChannel, Prime Network, Home Sports Entertainment, and SportSouth had established local and regional sports channels in different parts of the country. News Corporation entered this field through a 1995 partnership with TCI's Liberty Media, acquiring an interest in Prime Sports affiliates and creating the foundation for a unified regional brand.\n\nThe Fox Sports Net name was announced in 1996. Prime-branded services were relaunched on November 1 of that year, following the launch of Fox Sports Arizona in September. SportSouth was acquired from Turner and became Fox Sports South in early 1997. A later transaction involving Cablevision and NBC's sports properties expanded the Fox regional portfolio and created National Sports Partners to manage national programming and related operations. SportsChannel affiliates were gradually brought into the FSN family, although individual ownership and affiliation arrangements differed from market to market.\n\nNews Corporation became the sole owner of Fox Sports Net after Liberty Media exited the venture in 1999. The following decade was marked by portfolio reshaping. Fox acquired or exchanged interests in several networks, while Comcast, Cablevision, Liberty Media, and other partners obtained regional channels or ownership stakes. Fox Sports Chicago shut down in 2006 after losing key Chicago professional team rights to Comcast SportsNet Chicago. In the same period, News Corporation sold FSN Utah, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Northwest, and FSN Rocky Mountain to Liberty Media. Those channels later moved into the DirecTV Sports Networks structure and were rebranded Root Sports.\n\nOther regional channels also departed the Fox system. Comcast acquired interests in the New England and Bay Area networks, which became Comcast SportsNet services. Fox's regional sports operation was referred to as FSN from 2004 and as Fox Sports Local in some corporate contexts from 2010. The headquarters moved from Los Angeles to Houston in 2012. After the 2013 corporate separation of News Corporation, the regional networks became part of 21st Century Fox.\n\nDisney's proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox brought the regional networks under Disney ownership in March 2019. Because Disney also owned ESPN, the Department of Justice required the regional sports networks to be sold. After an extended auction involving strategic companies, private-equity firms, sports owners, and other bidders, Disney agreed to sell the portfolio to Sinclair Broadcast Group's Diamond Sports Group. The deal closed on August 22, 2019.\n\nThe channels continued to operate temporarily with Fox Sports branding while their new identity was developed. Sinclair entered a naming and marketing partnership with Bally's Corporation, and the former FSN services were relaunched as Bally Sports on March 31, 2021. The rebranding ended Fox Sports Networks as a distinct brand, although many of the regional channels and their local sports-rights functions continued under the successor network group.\n\nIn 1996, News Corporation and Liberty Media announced that the Prime Sports channels would be brought together under the Fox Sports Net brand. The relaunch took place on November 1, 1996, following the launch of Fox Sports Arizona in September. SportSouth was acquired from Turner and became Fox Sports South in early 1997. The following year, News Corporation and Liberty Media acquired a minority stake in Cablevision and NBC's SportsChannel operations. A later transaction involving Cablevision and NBC's sports properties expanded the Fox regional portfolio and created National Sports Partners to manage national programming and related operations. SportsChannel affiliates were gradually brought into the FSN family, although individual ownership and affiliation arrangements differed from market to market. Additional acquisitions, launches, affiliations, and closures eventually produced a portfolio of more than twenty regional networks.", "milestones": [ { "year": 1996, "title": "Prime Sports channels become Fox Sports Net", "summary": "News Corporation and Liberty Media consolidated Prime Sports regional outlets under the Fox Sports Net identity, relaunching on November 1, 1996, following the September launch of Fox Sports Arizona.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 1998, "title": "SportsChannel properties join the Fox Sports Net system", "summary": "Former SportsChannel operations were rebranded or integrated, broadening the regional network portfolio.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2017, "title": "Disney announces acquisition of 21st Century Fox", "summary": "The proposed transaction set in motion the regulatory divestiture of Fox's regional sports networks.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2019, "title": "Diamond Sports Group completes acquisition", "summary": "Sinclair's Diamond Sports Group acquired twenty-one regional sports networks from Disney, closing on August 22, 2019.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2021, "title": "Bally Sports brand launches", "summary": "The former Fox Sports regional channels were relaunched under the Bally Sports name on March 31.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2022, "title": "Bally Sports Plus launches", "summary": "The group introduced a direct-to-consumer streaming product, first in selected markets in June and later throughout its footprint in September.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2023, "title": "Diamond Sports Group enters bankruptcy", "summary": "Diamond filed for Chapter 11 protection on March 14 after missing a $140 million interest payment and facing mounting rights and distribution pressures.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2024, "title": "FanDuel Sports Network rebrand", "summary": "The Bally Sports channels adopted the FanDuel Sports Network identity in October.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2025, "title": "Main Street Sports Group emerges from bankruptcy", "summary": "Diamond Sports Group completed its restructuring on January 2 and adopted the Main Street Sports Group corporate name.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 1995, "title": "News Corporation enters the regional sports network business", "summary": "News Corporation formed a venture with TCI's Liberty Media and acquired an interest in Prime Sports affiliates, creating the basis for a Fox-branded regional sports system.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 1996, "title": "Fox Sports Net launches", "summary": "Prime Sports affiliates were relaunched under the Fox Sports Net identity, while Fox Sports Arizona became the first new network associated with the venture.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 1997, "title": "National Sports Partners is formed", "summary": "Fox's transaction involving Cablevision and NBC sports properties expanded the regional portfolio and established a structure for national programming operations; SportSouth was acquired from Turner and became Fox Sports South.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 1999, "title": "News Corporation becomes sole owner", "summary": "Liberty Media sold its interest in Fox Sports Net and FX to News Corporation.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2006, "title": "Fox Sports Chicago ceases operations", "summary": "The Chicago network shut down after losing major local professional sports rights to Comcast SportsNet Chicago.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2006, "title": "Four western regional networks are sold", "summary": "News Corporation sold its interests in FSN Utah, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Northwest, and FSN Rocky Mountain to Liberty Media.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2013, "title": "FSN becomes part of 21st Century Fox", "summary": "The regional sports properties were transferred to 21st Century Fox following the corporate separation of News Corporation's publishing and entertainment businesses.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2019, "title": "Regional networks are sold to Sinclair", "summary": "Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox and a regulatory divestiture order, Diamond Sports Group acquired the regional networks.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2021, "title": "Fox Sports branding ends", "summary": "The networks were rebranded Bally Sports, ending the Fox Sports Networks identity.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" } ], "products": [ { "name": "FanDuel Sports Network regional channels", "category": "Regional sports television", "description": "A collection of geographically focused sports channels carrying local game broadcasts, team programming, studio shows, and sports news. The channels are the successor to the Fox Sports Networks and Bally Sports outlets and have historically served professional, collegiate, and high-school sports audiences across multiple U.S. states.", "launchedYear": 2024, "status": null }, { "name": "Bally Sports Plus", "category": "Direct-to-consumer streaming", "description": "The former Bally Sports subscription streaming service offered direct access to selected regional networks and local team broadcasts without requiring a conventional pay-television package. It launched in selected markets in 2022 and was later subject to restructuring and proposed platform changes.", "launchedYear": 2022, "status": null }, { "name": "Regional sports television networks", "category": "Sports broadcasting", "description": "The core FSN offering consisted of regionally focused cable channels serving defined local markets. Each affiliate negotiated or inherited rights to professional and collegiate teams in its area and supplemented live games with local sports news, analysis, documentaries, magazine programs, and studio shows. Some channels also used overflow feeds to carry simultaneous events.", "launchedYear": 1996, "status": "discontinued" }, { "name": "National FSN programming", "category": "Sports programming", "description": "Alongside local game coverage, the FSN system distributed national sports discussion, documentary, and analysis programming. These programs helped give the geographically dispersed affiliates a shared editorial identity while leaving most schedule space to market-specific rights and production.", "launchedYear": null, "status": "discontinued" } ], "campaigns": [ { "year": 2021, "name": "Bally Sports Big Opening Day", "markets": [ "United States" ], "summary": "A joint launch-day special marked the transition from Fox Sports regional branding to Bally Sports. The program combined coverage and presenters from multiple regional channels and was produced with Sinclair's Stadium operation.", "outcome": "Introduced the new brand across the network portfolio.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" } ], "scandals": [], "decisions": [ { "year": 2019, "type": "mna", "title": "Acquire the Fox regional sports networks", "context": "Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox required the regional sports operations to be divested for competition reasons, as Disney already owned ESPN.", "action": "Sinclair used Diamond Sports Group to purchase twenty-one regional sports networks, excluding the YES Network, from Disney. The transaction closed on August 22, 2019.", "aftermath": "The channels continued temporarily under Fox branding before receiving a new identity.", "financials": { "metric": "Transaction value", "before": null, "after": "$10.6 billion", "period": "Announced May 2019", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2020, "type": "strategy", "title": "Adopt the Bally Sports naming-rights strategy", "context": "Sinclair sought to replace the transitional Fox identity and connect its sports properties with a commercial partner associated with sports betting and gaming.", "action": "Sinclair entered a ten-year naming-rights agreement with Bally's Corporation.", "aftermath": "The regional channels relaunched as Bally Sports in 2021 and incorporated betting-oriented presentation plans.", "financials": null, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2023, "type": "strategy", "title": "Restructure Diamond Sports Group under Chapter 11", "context": "Diamond missed an interest payment and faced pressure from rights obligations, distributor disputes, and the changing regional sports network market.", "action": "Diamond filed for bankruptcy protection and proposed separating its operations from Sinclair.", "aftermath": "The company renegotiated or lost multiple sports rights and closed certain regional channels.", "financials": { "metric": "Missed interest payment", "before": null, "after": "$140 million", "period": "February 2023", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2024, "type": "strategy", "title": "Rebrand as FanDuel Sports Network", "context": "The reorganization required a new identity after the planned end of the Bally's naming-rights arrangement.", "action": "Diamond renamed the regional channels FanDuel Sports Network.", "aftermath": "The portfolio continued under a new brand while the parent company completed restructuring and changed its corporate name.", "financials": null, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "year": 2019, "type": "mna", "title": "Divestiture and sale of the regional sports networks", "context": "Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox brought the regional sports networks under the same corporate ownership as ESPN. The United States Department of Justice required Disney to divest the networks because of competition concerns in regional sports broadcasting.", "action": "Disney agreed to sell the networks, excluding the YES Network, to Sinclair Broadcast Group through Diamond Sports Group. The transaction closed on August 22, 2019.", "aftermath": "The channels continued temporarily under Fox Sports branding through a transitional license and were subsequently renamed Bally Sports in 2021.", "financials": null, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" }, { "year": 2021, "type": "strategy", "title": "Rebranding as Bally Sports", "context": "After the Sinclair acquisition, the regional network group needed a new identity because the Fox Sports name was used under a temporary transition arrangement.", "action": "Sinclair and Bally's Corporation implemented a cross-partnership that replaced the Fox Sports Networks branding with Bally Sports.", "aftermath": "The Fox Sports Networks brand ceased to operate, while the regional sports channels continued under the Bally Sports name.", "financials": null, "competitorReactions": [], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" } ], "sources": [ { "title": "FanDuel Sports Network", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "title": "Fox Sports Networks", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" } ], "needsReview": true }, "sources": [ { "title": "FanDuel Sports Network", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network" }, { "title": "Fox Sports Networks", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Sports_Networks" } ], "jsonLd": [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": [ "Organization", "Brand" ], "@id": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports#entity", "name": "FanDuel Sports Network", "url": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports", "description": "Former United States regional sports television network group that operated under the Fox Sports brand from 1996 until its 2021 rebranding as Bally Sports.", "sameAs": [ "https://www.ballysports.com", "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FanDuel_Sports_Network", "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106443814" ], "foundingDate": "1996", "parentOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Main Street Sports Group" }, "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "United States", "addressCountry": "United States" }, "identifier": { "@type": "PropertyValue", "propertyID": "Wikidata", "value": "Q106443814" }, "alternateName": [ "Fox Sports Networks", "Fox Sports Net", "FSN", "Prime Sports networks", "FanDuel Sports Network", "Fox Sports Local", "福克斯体育网络" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports", "name": "FanDuel Sports Network", "url": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports", "dateModified": "2026-10-16T17:32:52.642Z", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Dataset", "name": "Brand Wiki", "url": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "WorldBrand.ai", "url": "https://worldbrand.ai" }, "publishingPrinciples": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/editorial-policy", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports#entity" }, "speakable": { "@type": "SpeakableSpecification", "cssSelector": [ "h1", "[data-brandwiki-speakable='definition']" ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Brand Wiki", "item": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "FanDuel Sports Network", "item": "https://worldbrand.ai/brand-wiki/bally-sports" } ] } ] }