Bally Sports South
American regional sports network
Television channel
 | |
| Type | Regional sports network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Alabama Georgia Kentucky Mississippi North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Nationwide (via satellite) |
| Network | Bally Sports |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 720p (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Diamond Sports Group |
| Parent | Sinclair Broadcast Group & Entertainment Studios Networks |
| Sister channels | Bally Sports Southeast |
| History | |
| Launched | August 29, 1990 (33 years ago) (1990-08-29) |
| Former names | SportSouth (1990–1997) Fox Sports South (1997–1999, 2012–2021) Fox Sports Net South (1999–2004) FSN South (2004–2008) FS South (2008–2012) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability (DirecTV may air some events an overflow feed due to event conflicts) | |
| Streaming media | |
| Bally Sports app | www.ballysports.com (U.S. cable internet subscribers only; requires login from participating providers to stream content; some events may not be available due to league rights restrictions) |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol Television |
| FuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
Bally Sports South (BSSO) is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports Networks. The network carries regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events from across the Southern United States, along with other sporting events and programming from Bally Sports.
Bally Sports South is available on cable providers throughout Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.
History
Bally Sports South was originally launched on August 29, 1990, as SportSouth, under the ownership of the Turner Broadcasting System, in conjunction with business partners Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting.[1] At its launch, the channel held the regional cable television rights to the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. Shortly after Turner completed its merger with Time Warner, SportSouth was purchased by News Corporation's Fox Cable Networks in the winter of 1996. The channel was integrated into the recently formed Fox Sports Net group of regional sports networks, and was officially rebranded as Fox Sports South in January 1997.[2] The channel's name was amended to "Fox Sports Net South" in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner).
In 2002, Fox Sports South began producing the Southern Sports Report from its Midtown Atlanta studios, as part of the collective FSN networks' expansion of "regional sports reports" to complement the National Sports Report, both formatted as daily news programs focusing on sports news and highlights. The Atlanta studios served as a production hub for the regional sports reports broadcast on other FSN networks, often utilizing the same anchors (with Terry Chick being the most prominent). The Southern Sports Report was discontinued in 2005; around the same time, FSN South began producing a similar program, Around The South, which focused on sports stories across the region. In 2004, the channel shortened its name to FSN South, through the networks' de-emphasis of the Fox Sports Net brand.
On February 23, 2006, News Corporation purchased the general entertainment cable channel Turner South from the Turner Broadcasting System for $375 million.[3] After the deal was completed, the channel dropped all remaining entertainment programming and converted into a sports-exclusive channel as it became part of the Fox Sports Networks group, adopting the "SportSouth" name formerly used by Fox Sports South. FSN South, which effectively became a sister network to the new SportSouth (which was renamed Fox Sports Southeast in October 2015[4]), reverted to the Fox Sports South moniker in 2008.
In 2008, SportSouth acquired the partial television rights to the Atlanta Braves, splitting the telecasts with Atlanta independent station WPCH-TV (channel 17), which ceased distributing the station's Braves telecasts nationally after its separation from its companion superstation feed TBS (which became a conventional cable network) in October 2007.[5] After Turner turned over the operations of WPCH to the Meredith Corporation under a local marketing agreement in 2011, production of the Braves telecasts was transferred from Turner Sports to Fox Sports South, in a deal in which the channel would produce a package of 45 regular season games each year for WPCH.
On February 28, 2013, Fox Sports South and SportSouth reached a deal with the Braves to acquire the 45 additional Atlanta Braves games beginning with the 2013 season, ending the team's contract with WPCH-TV and marking the first time in 40 years that the team's game telecasts were not available on broadcast television in the Atlanta market.[6][7] In July 2013, News Corporation spun off the Fox Sports Networks and most of its other U.S. entertainment properties into 21st Century Fox.
On December 14, 2017, as part of a merger between both companies, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports networks from 21st Century Fox, including Fox Sports South and sister network Fox Sports Southeast. However, on June 27, 2018, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN. On May 3, 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (through their joint venture, Diamond Holdings) bought Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion.[8] The deal closed on August 22, 2019.[9] On November 17, 2020, Sinclair announced an agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation to serve as a new naming rights partner for the FSN channels. Sinclair announced the new Bally Sports branding for the channels on January 27, 2021.[10] On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the 2021 Major League Baseball season, Fox Sports South and sister network Fox Sports Southeast was rebranded as Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast, resulting in 18 other Regional Sports Networks renamed Bally Sports in their respective regions.[11] The first live sporting event on the regional network was the opening-day coverage of the Braves visiting the Phillies on April 1. The game was preceded by the "Braves Live" pregame show.[12]
On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.[13]
Coverage area
Bally Sports South's coverage area includes Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and most of Kentucky. It is, by far, the largest coverage by area and total market reach of any Bally Sports affiliate. As such, the channel is often separated into several sub-regional feeds for the purposes of adhering to the various professional leagues' home territory rules.
For example, Memphis Grizzlies and Nashville Predators games are only seen in Tennessee, most of Kentucky, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Hurricanes games are only seen in North and South Carolina. Neither team's games are seen elsewhere within Bally Sports South's coverage area, although Predators games are occasionally rebroadcast in North Carolina. The Atlanta Hawks also have restrictions preventing games from being carried in most of the Carolinas, parts of Mississippi, and all of Kentucky.[14]
In some areas select games from neighboring Bally Sports Networks are carried on either Bally Sports South or an alternate channel. These include games from the St. Louis Cardinals (Bally Sports Midwest),[15] Indiana Pacers (Bally Sports Indiana),[16] Cincinnati Reds (Bally Sports Ohio), and New Orleans Pelicans (Bally Sports New Orleans).
In October 2008, Fox decided to split Fox Sports South into three separate channels to offer more localized sports coverage. It launched separate respective feeds for the Carolinas and most of Tennessee, Fox Sports Carolinas and Fox Sports Tennessee.[17] Fox Sports considered these feeds as separate networks, which maintained their own sub-sites within the main Fox Sports Local website. These channels were collapsed back into the Bally Sports South name when it launched on March 31, 2021, with a common non-gametime schedule, but the separate feeds otherwise continue.
Teams by Media Market
| MLB | NBA | NHL | WNBA | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | Cincinnati Reds (Bally Sports Ohio) | St. Louis Cardinals (Bally Sports Midwest) | Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Hornets | Memphis Grizzles | Indiana Pacers (Bally Sports Indiana) | New Orleans Pelicans (Bally Sports New Orleans) | Carolina Hurricanes | Nashville Predators | Atlanta Dream | ||
| Network(see note) | South/Southeast | South/Southeast | South/Southeast | Southeast | Southeast | Southeast | South | South | South | South | South/Southeast | |
| Georgia | (all markets including Atlanta) |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
| Alabama | (excluding Huntsville and Mobile) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Huntsville | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mobile | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky | (excluding Western Kentucky) | | Available on Bally Sports Ohio | | | | | | | | | |
| Western Kentucky | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mississippi | (excluding Biloxi/Gulfport, Memphis and New Orleans) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Biloxi/Gulfport | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northern Mississippi (Memphis) | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina | Charlotte, Asheville (excluding Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties), Greensboro-High Point | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Greenville | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Raleigh-Durham | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| South Carolina | Charleston, Augusta, Savannah, Greenville/Spartanburg (Abbeville, Anderson, and Oconee counties only) | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg (excluding Abbeville, Anderson, and Oconee counties), Myrtle Beach | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee | Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Memphis, Jackson | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Note: In Kentucky, most of North Carolina, and parts of Mississippi, Bally Sports Southeast is not available. In these areas all games are shown on Bally Sports South or an alternate channel.
Programming
Bally Sports South holds the exclusive regional cable television rights to the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball franchise; the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA; and the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators of the NHL. The channel also provides coverage of men's college basketball from the Davidson Wildcats and the Missouri Valley Conference, including regional coverage of the Murray State Racers and Belmont Bruins.
Announcers
Atlanta Braves
- Brandon Gaudin – play-by-play announcer
- Jeff Francoeur – analyst
- Treavor Scales – Braves LIVE host
- Brian Jordan – Braves LIVE analyst
- Nick Green – Braves LIVE analyst
- Peter Moylan – Braves LIVE analyst
- Paul Byrd – reporter
- C. J. Nitkowski – analyst
- Ashley ShahAhmadi – reporter
- Hanna Yates – reporter
- Wiley Ballard – reporter
Atlanta Hawks
- Bob Rathbun – play-by-play announcer
- Dominique Wilkins – analyst
- Andre Aldridge – sideline reporter / Hawks LIVE host
- Mike Glenn – Hawks LIVE analyst
- Rebecca Kaple – sideline reporter
- Jerome Jurenovich – Hawks LIVE host
Carolina Hurricanes
- Mike Maniscalco – play-by-play announcer
- Tripp Tracy – analyst
- Hanna Yates – Hurricanes LIVE host / in-game reporter
- Shane Willis – Hurricanes LIVE analyst
Charlotte Hornets
- Eric Collins – play-by-play announcer
- Dell Curry – analyst
- Ashley ShahAhmadi – sideline reporter / Hornets LIVE host
- Gerald Henderson Hornets Live analyst
Memphis Grizzlies
- Pete Pranica – play-by-play announcer
- Brevin Knight – analyst
- Rob Fischer – sideline reporter / Grizzlies LIVE host
- Chris Vernon – Grizzlies LIVE analyst / contributor
Nashville Predators
- Willy Daunic – play-by-play announcer
- Chris Mason – analyst
- Kara Hammer – rinkside reporter (home games)
- Hal Gill – Predators LIVE analyst
- Lyndsay Rowley – Predators LIVE host/reporter, rinkside reporter (away games)
Former announcers
- Kevin Egan – Atlanta United play-by-play announcer
- Maurice Edu – Atlanta United analyst
- Jillian Sakovits – sideline reporter / Atlanta United LIVE host
- Chip Caray – Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer
See also
References
- ^ "Sports Network Date Is Set". The New York Times. Reuters. May 17, 1990. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ Murdoch launches new network right under Turner’s nose
- ^ R. Thomas Umstead (February 23, 2006). "Fox Cable Buys Turner South". Multichannel News. Reed Business Information. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "FOX Sports regional network 'SportSouth' to be rebranded 'FOX Sports Southeast'". Fox Sports South/SportSouth. Fox Sports Networks. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "WTBS to become PeachTree TV". Atlanta Business Journal. American City Business Journals. June 27, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
- ^ "Fox Picks Up Braves' Games from PeachTree TV". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. March 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- ^ "FOX Sports South and SportSouth acquire 45 additional Braves games beginning this season". Fox Sports South. February 28, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 3, 2019). "Sinclair Clinches Disney-Regional Sports Networks Deal, Byron Allen Joins as Partner". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ "Sinclair completes acquisition of regional sports networks from Disney". Bloomberg. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Novy-Williams, Eben (November 19, 2020). "Bally's Buys Sinclair RSN Naming Rights As Part of Sports Betting Push". Sportico.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Bally Sports South/Southeast FAQ". FOX Sports. FOX Sports South. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast set to launch Wednesday, March 31". FOX Sports. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Bouma, Luke (March 14, 2023). "Bally Sports Just Declared Bankruptcy – The Death of RSNs?". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ "SportSouth to Televise 75 Atlanta Hawks Games". Atlanta Hawks. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "How to watch Cardinals baseball on FOX Sports Midwest". FOX Sports. FOX Sports Midwest. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "How to watch the Pacers on FOX Sports Indiana". FOX Sports. FOX Sports Indiana. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Fox Sports Launches Regional Nets in Tennessee, Carolinas". Multichannel News. November 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- AT&T SportsNet
- Marquee Sports Network (JV between Sinclair and Cubs)
- MASN
- MSG/MSG Sportsnet
- Root Sports Northwest
- YES Network (Sinclair 20%)
- Bally Sports app streaming service
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