AT&T TV, now rebranded as DirecTV Stream, is one of the most well-known live TV streaming services. It has numerous sports channels and regional sports networks (RSNs). However, due to the continuous conflict with Sinclair Broadcast Group, many users are questioning whether Bally Sports regional networks are still accessible through DirecTV Stream. This article will describe the situation and ascertain whether Bally Sports is involved or not.
What is Bally Sports?
Bally Sports is a group of regional sports networks that is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. These RSNs hold the local broadcast rights for live games of the numerous professional, college, and high school sports teams depending on the region in the United States.
Some of the main Bally Sports networks are Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports West, and others.
Conflict between DirecTV and Sinclair
Later in 2020, Sinclair bought the Fox Regional Sports Networks from Disney, and they renamed them Bally Sports. At the same time, AT&T, which owns DirecTV Stream, had a dispute with Sinclair over the expenses incurred in offering these RSNs.
Thus, AT&T removed all Bally Sports RSNs from DirecTV, U-Verse TV, and later from DirecTV Stream in July 2020. Ten million subscribers were suddenly unable to watch their home team play on their local Bally Sports network.
The Current Status – Are Bally Sports Channels on DirecTV Stream?
However, since 2023, DirecTV Stream and Sinclair Broadcast Group have not yet entered into a new distribution agreement. This disagreement which has been going on for more than 2 years has made Bally Sports RSNs unavailable on DirecTV Stream.
Therefore, at the moment, to be precise, none of the regional networks in Bally Sports is available on DirecTV Stream. Currently, subscribers cannot watch live local broadcasts on any of the Bally Sports RSN.
Other Ways of Watching Local Teams
The decision to cut Bally Sports RSNs is also unpalatable to sports enthusiasts who want to continue following their home team. Here are some alternative ways you may still be able to catch the live games:
• OTA antenna – This is a free over-the-air broadcasting channel for watching nationally televised games.
• TV provider with Bally Sports - Switch to a pay-TV provider that has your RSN, like DIRECTV or cable.
• MLB. TV, NBA League Pass, NHL. Sports - Packages for streaming out-of-market games.
• Bally Sports+ PPV service - Purchase one-time access to your RSN for $20-30 per game.
• Bars and restaurants - Watch at a local bar or restaurant where your RSN is displayed.
Can Bally Sports come back to DirecTV Stream again?
As of now, DirecTV Stream has all the Bally Sports RSNs listed as “Channels not available on DIRECTV STREAM”. They give a standard reason:
“We are doing everything we can to rebuild this channel. We would like to offer you the best content for the best price possible. ”
However, after two-plus years of conflict, nobody knows if and when a deal will be signed to return these RSNs. RSNs remain a contentious issue in carriage disagreements across streaming and cable services.
Consequently, the future is still unknown for now as to when or if Bally Sports will be back to DirecTV Stream anytime soon. Subscribers could be locked out for an extended period. As for the future of this conflict, we can only hope that the parties will resume negotiations and that there will be some sort of advancement toward its resolution.
Conclusion
In summary – no, Bally Sports regional networks are not currently available on DirecTV Stream. Bally Sports RSNs were removed from DirecTV Stream’s channel list as a result of an ongoing contract dispute that began in 2020. However, the following regional sports channels are still out of their packages since there is no new deal on the horizon: Presumably, regular sports fans may switch to other channels to watch their local live team broadcast.