Braves Today

Braves Fans Still Don't Get What They Really Need in Bally Sports Rebrand

The Atlanta Braves will play their games on a rebranded network next season.

Dave Holcomb

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Bally Sports is no apparently more. But before Atlanta Braves fans rejoice, they should know there's a chance not much will change for Braves fans that watch the team's local broadcasts.

The Bally Sports announced Friday that they will rebrand itself as the FanDuel Sports Network starting after the weekend. This change will apply to all 16 regional sports networks that Bally Sports owns.

Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast air the Braves and Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.

With the rebrand, Braves fans may see more gambling related content although there's a chance that change won't occur since sporting betting isn't legal in Georgia. But with the rebrand announcement Friday, the biggest question around the Braves local broadcasts remained unanswered -- when will the team be available on more affordable streaming services?

We are approaching the end of 2024. But here we are with the Braves only available for people that live in Georgia on a select few streaming services. Bally Sports is available only on DirecTV Stream, which really shouldn't be considered affordable (you are better off paying for cable) and Fubo TV.

Fans with YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV and other notable streaming services cannot watch the Braves. Obviously, they can't watch them on MLB TV either if they live within the Bally Sports South region.

Old school television viewers would argue the easy solution to that problem is to sign up for cable. But that's far from easy. Verizon FiOS TV doesn't carry Bally Sports either. This past summer, Comcast also dropped the network, as the two companies engaged in a financial dispute.

I can pretty much watch everything I want without cable. Therefore, the last thing I want is to sign up for a two-year cable contract to watch the Braves and then see Comcast drop whatever rebranded network the team is on next season.

What the Braves need is their own individual streaming package. Ironically, Bally Sports actually does offer that. But frustrating me to no end, Bally Sports Plus doesn't carry the Braves -- it only carries the Hawks, along with the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL in my area.

It's important to note that Bally Sports' rebranded network is far from a guarantee even after the company's announcement Friday. Bally Sports' parent company, Diamond Sports Group, must successfully emerge from bankruptcy over the next couple months for the FanDuel Sports Network to become a reality.

The Athletic's Evan Drellich also reported Friday that the MLB is far from a fan of this new arrangement. The league and Diamond Sports Group could have an ugly fight this offseason that leads to a divorce.

Will that be good or bad for the Braves? I honestly don't know. It doesn't matter to me who wins that potential fight. Whether it's Diamond Sports Group, FanDuel, or somebody else, the company broadcasting the team needs to make them readily available on a streaming service.

Maybe they can call it TBS Plus?

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB