Magic Broadcast Partner Bally Sports Strikes New Deal With NBA: What it Could Mean

On Friday, Bally reached new agreements with the NBA and NHL for the 2024-25 seasons. Here's what it could mean for the TV home of Magic games.

Oct 7, 2022; A view of a game ball and the Bally Sports logo on the stanchion post before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Orlando Magic at the American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Orlando Magic is one of 13 NBA franchises that broadcast its games on a Bally Sports regional sports network.

On Friday afternoon, Bally Regional Sports Networks netted a lifeline while attempting to emerge from its Chapter 11 case as reports surfaced that new agreements for the rights to televise NHL and NBA games through, at least, the end of the upcoming season had been struck. Court filings asking bankruptcy court to approve the deals revealed the news.

The Magic have been broadcasting all non-national exclusive games on Bally Sports Florida.

Diamond Sports, the parent company that presides over Bally Sports, delayed a hearing to confirm an exit plan from its ongoing Chapter 11 case in late July, calling upon progress made with talks with distributors and the leagues.

As the NHL houses nine teams' television rights on Bally Sports RSNs and the NBA with 13 of its own, the leagues requested clarity on the situation as soon as possible to then consider a possible next move. Diamond later announced a renewal with Comcast.

Of importance (assuming the deals are approved in bankruptcy court), it ensures that the Magic would be back on Bally Sports for one more complete season – even if Diamond Sports is unable to emerge from its Chapter 11 case.

Per Daniel Kaplan of Awful Announcing, if Diamond is unable to finalize an exit plan from the Chapter 11 case, the contracts are then terminated following the end of the season. Should Bally Sports default on payments before then, the teams receive liens on Diamond assets as high-priority creditors. If Diamond does get a plan approved and is able to exit the case, however, the deals with the NBA and NHL would then automatically continue.

“We have reached a new agreement with Diamond Sports Group for the 2024-25 season in which Diamond RSNs will telecast local games for 13 NBA teams," the NBA said in a statement. "This new agreement is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court.”

Bally Sports Florida is widely available on cable, satellite and streaming providers. For Magic fans in Central Florida and North Florida, options include Spectrum, Xfinity, AT&T U-verse, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Cox, Hotwire, Mediacom, WOW and Summit Broadband. Bally Sports also has streaming apps and options.

For more information on where to find Bally Sports Florida, click here.