Comcast blacks out 15 regional sports networks in contract dispute with distributor

FILE -A Bally Sports sign hangs in a dugout before the start of a spring training baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Jupiter, Fla. The cutoff that began Wednesday, May 1, 2024 affects games played by a dozen Major League Baseball teams based in nine states. –

The dispute mirrors a broader reckoning looming for sports broadcasts in the age of streaming, which has led to sharp declines in pay-TV subscriptions for both cable and satellite. According to areleased last October, the percentage of U.S. households paying for such live TV services dropped to 64% in 2023 from 78% in 2018.

The Comcast blackout currently only affects baseball games, but if it stretches on long enough, other sports could be affected. Diamond, for instance, currently holds the pay-TV rights to games played by 38 teams across the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and MLB.

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