Three hours after Diamond announced its bankruptcy, MLB released a statement affirming its ability to air games for fans should the RSNs cease production.
“Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy declaration today is an unfortunate development that we have been expecting,” the statement said. “Despite Diamond’s economic situation, there is every expectation that they will continue televising all games they are committed to during the bankruptcy process.
Major League Baseball is ready to produce and distribute games to fans in their local markets in the event that Diamond or any other regional sports network is unable to do so as required by their agreement with our Clubs.
Having streamed live games on MLB.TV for more than 20 years and produced live games for MLB Network since 2009, we have the experience and capabilities to deliver games to fans uninterrupted. In addition, we have hired additional seasoned local media professionals to bolster our capabilities in anticipation of this development.
Over the long term, we will reimagine our distribution model to address the changing media climate and ultimately reach an even larger number of fans.”