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Forbes reports that after 2 days of 9 hour sessions (possibly more) the writing is on the wall. Diamond sports (owner of Bally, owned by Sinclair) is on the brink of losing 13 MLB teams. So what? This is a hockey blog right? Well, it should solidify league wide action that if you don’t have your ducks in a row for broadcasting, get it done.

The judge did plead for some dialogue between MLB and Bally. The following story was relayed:

Manfred recalled a meeting between him and Sinclair CEO David Smith. Diamond Sports Group is a subsidiary of Sinclair, so ultimately Sinclair pays the bills for Diamond. In the story, Smith reportedly said that if MLB didn’t take lower rights fees, Sinclair would drive Diamond Sports Group into the ground.

Not the best look in the world. Now, move to the world of the NHL where there’s 220 million invested. If they demand that goes down, good Lord what’s the point? When a parent company is willing to put their proverbial “Isaac” on the mantle and ignore the ram in the thickets you have problems. This is a company that is either intentionally being toxic or lack any sense of business acumen.

On an off note, I have talked about the ESPN/Disney fiasco. Yesterday, 75 employees were fired from Pixar which lends credence to the consolidation. In a really nasty move, ESPN just hired a new on air talent for a 5 year 85million dollar deal right before they start the next round of layoffs. Mixed reviews are the best described at this point.

At this point, I’m done until a ruling is made. Either Bally will release everyone and shutter up, or wait to be sued and then shutter up. ESPN is going to have its own trouble and the final numbers from this year’s playoffs are going to be a part of the future. It’s a bizarre time in sports and entertainment. Less disposable $ and more multi platform paid subscriptions (thanks to H2 for the catch). We’ll see where this lands.

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