• Loading stock data...
Sunday, August 31, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

Rangers Claim Diamond Sports Missed Rights Fee Payment

  • The Rangers requested to join MLB, Twins, and the Guardians in seeking an emergency hearing over the unpaid fees.
  • Diamond Sports filed for bankruptcy protection in March to restructure $8 billion in debt.
Texas Rangers wants to join in suit to collect rights fees from Diamond Sports.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers filed a motion in Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy case Tuesday after the parent company for Bally Sports networks missed a quarterly payment over the weekend. 

In the filing, the Rangers requested to join Major League Baseball, Minnesota Twins, and the Cleveland Guardians in seeking an emergency hearing over the unpaid fees. 

The Rangers are the fourth club to come forward in the bankruptcy case to allege Diamond Sports has missed payments. 

“That ‘there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch’ is a well-recognized, simple, but axiomatic economic principle,” the Rangers said in the filing. “Everyone understands it—everyone, apparently, except [Diamond Sports]. Here, they are getting lunch—using the right to create content based on the Rangers’ baseball games, and in turn, selling that content to distributors—but without paying for it.”  

Last Wednesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks filed its motion where the club stated Diamond Sports “continues “to consume the Diamondbacks’ product without paying for it.”

Diamond Sports filed for bankruptcy protection on March 14 to restructure $8 billion in debt. Diamond Sports, a Sinclair subsidiary, owns and manages 19 Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks. 

The Rangers’ RSN broadcast deal was initially made with Fox over a decade before Sinlcair acquired the rights from Disney. Disney was required to divest the RSNs as part of the company’s 1999 purchase of Twenty-First Century Fox.

Texas’ agreement is worth reported to be around $150 million per year and runs through 2034. The exact details of the agreement were not listed in Tuesday’s bankruptcy filing. 

The Athletic was the first outlet to report the filing. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MLB Extends Leaves of Clase, Ortiz as Betting Probe Continues

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were put on paid non-disciplinary through Aug. 31; now their leaves have been extended “until further notice.”
Nov 30, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; General overall view of the Dallas Cowboys logo at midfield during an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Arlington Pays Off Its Cowboys Stadium Debt 10 Years Early

Another major NFL venue retires its public debt far ahead of schedule.
Emmanuel Clase

Ohio Moving to Ban Prop Bets Amid Guardians Gambling Investigation

Ohio’s governor said prop betting has “failed badly” in the U.S.
Emmanuel Clase

Emmanuel Clase Gambling Leave Not Costing Finlete Investors—Yet

Clase is the company’s only client currently in the majors.

Featured Today

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.

NFL Preseason Sees 17% Jump in TV Ratings, Best Since 2018

Average audiences for the exhibition games increase sharply from last year.
ESPN
August 27, 2025

Disney Sues Sling TV Over $5 Day Passes Granting ESPN Access

Newly introduced short-term subscriptions spark a legal challenge.
Tom Brady
August 27, 2025

NFL Continues to Loosen Tom Brady Restrictions

Brady will be able to attend production meetings–remotely–this season.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 27, 2025

FCC Chair Joins Fox–YouTube TV Fight With Big Game on the Line

The Trump appointee is now involved in another media carriage fight.
Aug 24, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tommy Fleetwood holds the FedExCup Trophy on the 18th green after winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament.
August 26, 2025

PGA Tour TV Ratings: Fleetwood’s Breakthrough Caps Playoff Surge

Sunday’s final round drew nearly 4.5 million viewers on NBC.
August 26, 2025

NFL Sunday Ticket Debuts Monthly Plan—but at a Steep Cost

Previously, fans had to purchase the service for the entire season.
August 21, 2025

Fox Enters Streaming Wars With Leaner, Sports-Heavy Approach

A different strategy marks the arrival of the network’s streaming service.