In the near future, Atlanta sports fans could be able to watch Hawks games on Amazon’s Prime Video.
But Braves games, at this moment, are not expected to stream on Prime Video.
On Wednesday, Diamond Sports Group – Bally Sports’ parent company – announced that Amazon committed to take a minority stake in its company. If the deal goes through, Prime Video, which is part of Amazon Prime, would be Bally Sports’ main streaming partner, meaning fans in regions served by Bally would be able to watch select MLB, NBA and NHL on the streaming platform.
According to a person with knowledge of the agreement, Bally Sports doesn’t have direct-to-consumer rights for the Braves, which means the Braves and MLB would need to grant Bally Sports those rights in order for the network to stream Braves games on Prime Video. In theory, this could happen at any point, but there’s no indication it will. (For this same reason, Braves games weren’t available on Bally Sports Plus, the company’s streaming option that debuted last year. Bally Sports has secured direct-to-consumer rights for only a handful of MLB teams.)
In 2024, Braves fans will need to watch the Braves through the usual cable and satellite providers. There’s no change to Braves telecasts and where they’ll air. Bally Sports holds the team rights to the Braves, which means the Braves and MLB cannot stream the games elsewhere.
But the Hawks eventually will be on Prime Video. The release didn’t mention a target launch date, but Diamond said additional details about pricing and availability will be announced at a later time. (The Hawks, unlike the Braves, are included in the Bally Sports Plus package.)
Bally Sports is available throughout Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and central and western North Carolina. The providers are AT&T U-verse, Cox, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, Spectrum and Xfinity.
Last year, Diamond filed for bankruptcy, which seemed to put Bally Sports in jeopardy. Certain MLB teams have faced financial uncertainty because of the fluid situation. Last year, MLB took over the production and distribution of Padres and Diamondbacks broadcasts because of Diamond’s financial hardships.
But the Braves never were in danger of this happening. Bally Sports South and Southeast always planned to telecast Braves games as usual in 2024, with play-by-play man Brandon Gaudin alongside new lead analyst C.J. Nitkowski. The final year of the Braves’ TV deal is 2027.
In its release, Diamond said Wednesday’s news “provides a framework for a reorganization plan that would enable Diamond to emerge from bankruptcy as a going concern and continue its operations.”
At the bottom of its release, Diamond said the restructuring agreement and the Amazon investment are “subject to approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.”
