Nashville Predators fans were left frustrated on Tuesday night when their Bally Sports South feed for Game 5 of the NHL playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks was abruptly cut off at 11 p.m. CT. The reason behind this blackout can be attributed to Comcast, which failed to reach an agreement with Diamond Sports Group, the owner of Bally Sports South, to extend their rights deal by the deadline.
Despite offering similar terms to those agreed upon with larger distributors, Comcast chose not to engage in meaningful discussions with Diamond Sports Group, resulting in a lack of access for fans. This forced them to turn to alternative options such as TBS, FuboTV, DirectTV streaming or Bally Sports+ to catch the game.
In a statement, Diamond Sports Group expressed disappointment in Comcast’s decision and highlighted its flexibility in accommodating the company during its bankruptcy proceedings. However, the failure to come to an agreement led to a blackout on Tuesday night despite Amazon’s recent minority stake acquisition in Diamond Sports Group aimed at helping the regional sports network emerge from bankruptcy.
The situation left Predators fans without access to the game on Tuesday night and highlighted the challenges faced by fans and companies in the changing landscape of sports broadcasting. Paul Skrbina, a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators for The Tennessean provided insights into the situation and its broader implications for fans and networks.
Fans were left frustrated as they were unable to watch Game 5 of the NHL playoffs series against Vancouver Canucks due to a blackout caused by Comcast’s failure