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Phoenix Suns say 'Bye-Bye Bally'

C

CaliRadioFan

The Phoenix Suns will have a new TV home at the start of the 2023-24 season; Grey TV's KTVK AZ 3! Neither the length of the deal or the price has been disclosed, but the station is set to air all non-national games both home and away. A handful of games will also air on sister station KPHE (Arizona's Sports and Family Channel). Streaming will be avaliable via a new DTC Phoenix Suns app.

Bally's has also lost the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury. A majority of their games will air on KPHE this season, with 13 games on AZ 3, and Friday games on KPPX 51 (Ion)

This leaves Bally's Sports Arizona with just the Diamondbacks Baseball and Coyotes Hockey....for now

tvnewscheck.com

Gray Television Captures Phoenix Suns And Mercury Games

The “transformative rights deal” will bring every game free, over-the-air with statewide distribution.
tvnewscheck.com tvnewscheck.com
 
There's no guarantee that there'll be a Coyotes to broadcast. Their existence depends on the voters in Tempe. If the proposed arena is voted down, they're headed for Houston or Atlanta.

And the Diamondbacks? They're committed to BSArizona for this season or as long as the channel exists. I'll be absolutely shocked if the owners allow their games on free TV. Hopefully, I will be proven wrong.
 
KeithE4 said:
There's no guarantee that there'll be a Coyotes to broadcast. Their existence depends on the voters in Tempe. If the proposed arena is voted down, they're headed for Houston or Atlanta.
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Aren't they committed to the ASU rink for another few seasons? If the arena vote is this November, they'll have to stay at least to the end of next season and probably the 2024-25 season as well, as the logistics of setting up a new Houston or Atlanta (why???) franchise by the following August (opening of training) would be daunting.
 
CaliRadioFan said:
The Phoenix Suns will have a new TV home at the start of the 2023-24 season; Grey TV's KTVK AZ 3! Neither the length of the deal or the price has been disclosed, but the station is set to air all non-national games both home and away.
Click to expand...
Per the Arizona Republic, the deal is for 5 years with the Suns and 2 years with the Mercury. No dollar amount was released.
 
CTListener said:
Aren't they committed to the ASU rink for another few seasons? If the arena vote is this November, they'll have to stay at least to the end of next season and probably the 2024-25 season as well,
Click to expand...
Appears the Coyotes have a three year deal at Mullett Arena, with a team option for a fourth. Likely will remain through the 2024-25 season. Supposedly there is a Plan B if the Tempe vote fails.

For those not aware, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo also owns radio and TV stations in the Los Angeles market.
CTListener said:
as the logistics of setting up a new Houston or Atlanta (why???) franchise by the following August (opening of training) would be daunting.
Click to expand...
The NHL did move the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg at very short notice in 2011 after ownership (shared with the NBA’s Hawks) pretty much abandoned the team and kicked them out of the arena there. But in that case there was a very willing and well financed potential owner in Winnipeg, and the league’s hand was forced.

Any Houston bid would be owned by Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta, who apparently does not want to pay the supposed going rate for an NHL franchise. The Toyota Center did house the AHL version of the Houston Aeros, so hockey capable. Very much a question mark here; Houston is by far the largest market without hockey at any level.

A third try in Atlanta is out of the question unless that proposed arena and entertainment complex in Alpharetta gets built. The NHL team would have to be the primary tenant, not getting dumped on by an NBA team.
 
KeithE4 said:
Per the Arizona Republic, the deal is for 5 years with the Suns and 2 years with the Mercury. No dollar amount was released.
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According to Forbes it could be a drop from "$35 million to $8 million by switching to a direct-to-consumer option." NBA’s Phoenix Suns Become First Major Sports Team To Ditch Cable

According to ESPN Mat Ishbia the owner of the Suns says the deal is not about the money, but instead about "winning, success and taking care of fans, taking care of the community" and "What happens is you always end up making money. It always works out." Suns, Mercury cut cable, moving to new TV setup

Also, from Diamond Sports response, sounds like they may be planning to sue. According to Axios Diamond has a right to "match any deal the teams make with a new broadcast partner." New Phoenix Suns, Mercury deal sends warning signal for cable
 
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CTListener said:
Aren't they committed to the ASU rink for another few seasons? If the arena vote is this November, they'll have to stay at least to the end of next season and probably the 2024-25 season as well, as the logistics of setting up a new Houston or Atlanta (why???) franchise by the following August (opening of training) would be daunting.
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The vote is May 16. That guarantees a low turnout. Its chances of passing are not good, from what I hear from folks I know there.
 
KeithE4 said:
The vote is May 16. That guarantees a low turnout.
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I understand that mail-in ballots are being used along with in person voting, so participation might be quite decent.
KeithE4 said:
Its chances of passing are not good, from what I hear from folks I know there.
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Chatter on some hockey forums suggests things are leaning slightly to the ”no” side. Sure will be a lot of arenas in metro Phoenix competing for events should the Tempe proposal pass.
 
Diamond Sports has filed an emergency motion asking the bankruptcy court to stay and void the Suns/Gray Television agreement:

The Debtors, regrettably, are compelled to seek entry of an order, substantially in
the form attached hereto, (a) enforcing the automatic stay with respect to the Suns Legacy Partners,
L.L.C.’s (the “Suns”) material and willful breach of their Agreement (as defined below) with
Debtor Diamond Sports Net Arizona, LLC (f/k/a Fox Sports Net Arizona, LLC) (“Diamond
Arizona”) and compelling the Suns to comply with that Agreement, (b) enforcing the automatic
stay with respect to Gray Television, Inc.’s (“Gray”) and Kiswe Mobile Inc.’s (“Kiswe”) (and/or
their respective affiliates’) exercise of control over Diamond Arizona’s property interests in the
Agreement, (c) voiding the Replacement Agreement (as defined below), (d) awarding damages to
Diamond Arizona caused by the Suns’, Gray’s, and Kiswe’s respective violations of the automatic
stay, and (e) granting any related relief.
Click to expand...

I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet to see what their arguments are.

 
Once the NY Knicks and Nets, Boston Celtics and both LA Lakers and LA Clippers move their games off cable and onto OTA Television it's game over for the RSNs. A far cry from their glory days when they were able to stock their schedules with various sports to air between the teams games
 
So Diamond's argument is mostly redacted due to confidential information, but they are arguing that they have the right to first refusal. Looks like there is a hearing date for tomorrow, so there will probably be a response from the Sun/Gray Television later today.

Edit: The Athletic has now report on this with their analysis of the court filing.


theathletic.com

Diamond Sports sues Phoenix Suns, Mercury to block efforts to form new media outlet

The development comes less than a week after the teams announced new plans for broadcast distribution for the 2023-24 season.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 
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TVCOOL said:
Once the NY Knicks and Nets, Boston Celtics and both LA Lakers and LA Clippers move their games off cable and onto OTA Television it's game over for the RSNs. A far cry from their glory days when they were able to stock their schedules with various sports to air between the teams games
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The Knicks, you say? The Knicks that are owned by Madison Square Garden, which is the Dolan family? Those Knicks?

The ones who air their games on (adjusts glasses, checks notes) the MSG Network? Which is (checks notes again) a subsidiary of Madison Square Garden, which is the Dolan family? That MSG Network?
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
Didn't KTVK-3 already carry a handful of Phoenix Suns games?
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No, they don't start broadcasting Suns games until October and Mercury's on May 25 if the court doesn't void the agreement. The Suns aired on KUTP-45 for many years before moving exclusively to Fox Sports Arizona (now Bally Sports Arizona).
 
Apparently Diamond filed both an emergency motion and a lawsuit against Sun, Gray, and Kiswe in the bankruptcy court. Finally got a moment to read Diamond's lawsuit. Diamond's argument is that:
The term of the Agreement is 12 years inclusive of the 2022–2023 NBA season, which is ongoing. Under the Agreement, Diamond Arizona is the “sole and exclusive holder” of the Suns’ Standard Television and Non-Standard Distribution rights during the term of the Agreement. Agmt. § 6. The Agreement remains in effect. Diamond Arizona has made all rights fee payments required under the Agreement. See Agmt. § 8. 16. The Agreement includes a comprehensive set of backend rights in favor of Diamond Arizona, including a right of first refusal.
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The terms of the "right of first refusal" are redacted on the lawsuit.

 
The Suns have issue a statement in response to the lawsuit according to the Arizona Republic. Mat Ishbia, Phoenix Suns respond to Diamond Sports Group's lawsuit over leaving Bally Sports Arizona

Nobody is surprised by this lawsuit and it will not stop the Phoenix Suns and Mercury from making our games available to as many people as we possibly can. The fans, players, and everyone in our organization knows this is how all of us win together, on and off the court. I firmly believe the future success of the NBA and WNBA is about getting our product to everyone who wants it versus just the people who pay for it.
Click to expand...
 
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