Royals games are blacked out for Comcast/Xfinity subscribers. Can the team do anything?
Royals television ratings, you might expect, are up this season. The team set a record for victories through April and took a 19-13 mark into a weekend home series against the Texas Rangers.
But as of this week, not everyone in the region who wants to watch the Royals can.
Subscribers to Comcast/Xfinity have lost Royals broadcasts because those television services have dropped Diamond Sports Group, which operates Bally Sports Regional Networks.
The Royals are one of 12 MLB teams in Diamond Sports Group (Bally), including three more in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers.
The Royals don’t have role in the dispute between Comcast/Xfinity and Diamond Sports Group. The blackout is exclusive to Comcast/Xfinity customers because Diamond has secured multiyear deals with Charter/Spectrum and DirectTV.
Comcast isn’t the dominant outlet of Royals broadcasts. It’s largely available in Independence, Blue Springs and Olathe, and not available in many areas of western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
“It’s disappointing that Comcast rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air and that Comcast instead pulled the signals,” a Diamond Sports Group spokesman said in a statement. “Comcast has refused to engage in substantive discussions despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with much larger distributors of ours.
“We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and (regional sports networks) play in the media ecosystem.”
Also available as an alternative to Comcast/Xfinity is Bally Sports+, a direct-to-consumer platform. Information is available at BallySports.com/Packages.
According to ESPN, MLB is unable to lift blackout restrictions for those teams through its streaming service, MLB.TV, because it would qualify as a breach of the teams’ contracts with Diamond Sports Group.
The dispute centers on money, naturally. Comcast wants Diamond to appear on a higher, more expensive tier. Diamond said in a statement that it will continue to try to resolve the issue.
Comcast said it will be crediting its customers for the costs associated with the blacked-out broadcasts. Most will automatically receive monthly credits of $8-$10.
The Royals and Major League Baseball haven’t spoken publicly about the dispute, but the Twins issued a statement to its fans:
“The Twins are disappointed by this massive disruption for our fans who simply want to watch our games. This situation is a business negotiation between Comcast and (Bally). The Twins have no role or voice in this matter. We are hopeful the two parties are able to come to an agreement as soon as possible.”
Royals ratings were up 16% over last season through Tuesday, and Bally Sports+ and the Bally Sports app unique streamers were up 170%.
This story was originally published May 3, 2024 at 12:06 PM.