Texas Rangers TV Payment, Bally Sports Update

Texas Rangers games will continue without interruption on Bally Sports Southwest, but it doesn't improve access most most broadcast services.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

As expected Diamond Sports Group made its next rights fee payment to the Texas Rangers on Thursday, according to the Dallas Morning News.

This resolves the current issues between DSG — which owns the Bally Sports Networks, including Bally Sports Southwest — and the Rangers, who have been at odds since March when DSG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

It also means there will be no interruptions when it comes to Rangers games on Bally Sports Southwest — at least for those that can get the channel.

While the rights fee payment helps the Rangers, it does not improve access for those Dallas-Fort Worth viewers that subscribe to cable and streaming channels that don’t have deals with DSG, including Dish TV, Hulu and YouTube TV.

After DSG skipped its April payment to the Rangers, the team joined a lawsuit led by Major League Baseball, along with the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians, who were also owed rights fee payments from DSG. The suit was filed to compel payment. A judge in Houston ruled in favor of Major League Baseball, did not reduce the money DSG owed those teams and ordered the parties to find a resolution.

Now that the payment has been made the Rangers are not able to take back their televisions rights, as the San Diego Padres did from DSG earlier this month.

The Rangers originally signed a 20-year, $3 billion deal in 2010 with Fox Sports Southwest, which was purchased by DSG and became Bally Sports Southwest in 2019. It is believed the Rangers are owed $111 million in 2023.

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