KC Royals are the last unsettled team as broadcasters land deal with Prime Video

The Kansas City Royals are currently the last team in Major League Baseball (MLB) still caught in the web of uncertainty surrounding their broadcasting future, as the sports world watches closely for a resolution. For nearly two years, the Royals and other MLB teams have been in limbo, waiting for a conclusion to the long and complicated bankruptcy process of Diamond Sports Group, a company that owns several regional sports networks (RSNs), including Bally Sports Kansas City. Diamond Sports has been a key player in the regional broadcasting of MLB games for years, but the company has been struggling under the weight of significant financial distress, and its bankruptcy has left teams like the Royals facing an uncertain broadcasting future.

The Royals’ situation is particularly unique, as they are the final team still left without a clear broadcasting plan for the 2025 season. With the 2024 season now behind us, teams and fans are eager to know where and how Royals games will be broadcast next year. On November 13, 2023, however, a potential breakthrough emerged when Diamond Sports announced a deal with Amazon Prime Video. The agreement, which involves a multi-year commercial partnership, is a game-changer for the 16 RSNs under Diamond Sports’ control, including Bally Sports Kansas City. According to the announcement, these RSNs will now be available through Prime Video as an add-on subscription for viewers in each team’s designated geographical area.

This news brings hope to fans in the Royals’ market, as it suggests that the team’s games could continue to be available on a familiar platform, albeit through a new distribution model. But while this deal is a positive step, it does not immediately resolve the Royals’ broadcasting dilemma, and several questions remain. For one, what does this new deal mean for the Royals specifically? Will the team continue to broadcast games under Diamond Sports’ umbrella, or is a more drastic change needed to secure a new media deal for the team?

For MLB, Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy has been an ongoing saga. The company’s financial difficulties started to become apparent in 2022, when Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports, filed for bankruptcy protection. The company was carrying over $8 billion in debt, and its struggles to keep up with financial obligations caused serious disruption to the regional broadcasting agreements it had with several MLB teams. As a result, dozens of teams were left unsure of how their games would be broadcast in the future.

In 2023, Diamond Sports proposed a reorganization plan in federal bankruptcy court, aiming to walk away from most of its contracts with MLB teams. This plan suggested that Diamond Sports would attempt to restructure by retaining only one of its MLB agreements—the deal with the Atlanta Braves—while abandoning its broadcasting agreements with all other teams, including the Royals. The financial and legal complexities of this process left teams like the Royals caught between a rock and a hard place, forced to either negotiate new deals with Diamond Sports, accept a substantial reduction in broadcast rights fees, or go searching for new broadcasting partners entirely.

In the case of the Royals, the uncertainty about their future broadcasting arrangements has become a source of frustration for both the team and its fans. With the 2025 season rapidly approaching, the Royals are running out of time to finalize their broadcasting deal. The clock is ticking, as pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report for spring training in just a few months. Despite the announcement of the Prime Video deal, the Royals’ situation remains unresolved.

The first sign that progress might be made came on November 8, 2023, when several MLB teams reached new deals with Diamond Sports. Among them were the St. Louis Cardinals, who announced a multi-year contract extension to keep Diamond Sports as their exclusive local media partner. Following this, teams like the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, and others reached similar agreements, securing their broadcasting rights for the future. Even the Atlanta Braves, whose agreement was originally under review, saw their deal amended and extended as part of Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy plan.

However, despite these developments, the Royals were still without a clear path forward. As of mid-November 2023, the Royals remained the only team without a new broadcasting agreement. This left them in a precarious position, especially with the 2025 season rapidly approaching. If the Royals cannot come to an agreement with Diamond Sports or another third-party RSN, they may be forced to turn to MLB itself, which has already taken over the broadcasting rights for several teams.

Throughout the 2024 season, MLB stepped in to produce and distribute broadcasts for teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres. Following Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy, MLB also took over broadcasting for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins. These teams have all seen the benefits of MLB’s centralized broadcasting operation, which ensures that games are available to fans without the complications of dealing with struggling RSNs. Given that MLB has shown the capacity to take over broadcasts in the past, it seems likely that the Royals could follow suit, especially if Diamond Sports is unwilling to offer the team an acceptable deal.

The process of shifting broadcasting rights from Diamond Sports to MLB isn’t a simple one, though. For one, it would mean that the Royals would no longer be broadcast through Bally Sports Kansas City, a network that has been the home of Royals games for many years. Fans of the team are familiar with this network, and the transition to MLB’s system would represent a significant change. Additionally, there are financial implications to consider. While MLB can handle the broadcasting of games directly, the team would likely receive a lower rights fee under such an arrangement, which could impact the Royals’ revenue streams.

For now, it remains unclear whether the Royals will reach a new agreement with Diamond Sports or choose to pursue an entirely different broadcasting model. What is clear, however, is that the team must make a decision quickly. According to Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star, the Royals are expected to announce their 2025 broadcasting plans by the end of the week, a timeline that suggests that the decision is imminent.

The future of the Royals’ broadcasting arrangements is just one piece of the larger puzzle for the team’s future, but it is a crucial one. For a team like the Royals, whose success on the field has been inconsistent in recent years, the ability to maintain strong broadcasting partnerships is essential to keeping fans engaged and generating revenue. A broadcasting deal with Prime Video or MLB could have significant long-term effects on the team’s visibility and financial health.

As for Diamond Sports, the agreement with Prime Video represents a potential lifeline. While the deal gives the company an opportunity to salvage some of its RSN assets, it is not a permanent solution. The bankruptcy process is far from over, and Diamond Sports will still have to navigate the financial hurdles associated with its restructuring. The move to offer regional sports networks through Prime Video is a strategic response to the changing landscape of sports broadcasting, where more and more fans are opting for streaming services over traditional cable TV. This could be a positive development for Diamond Sports if it proves successful, but the Royals’ future with the company remains uncertain.

Ultimately, the decision the Royals make in the coming weeks will shape their broadcasting future for years to come. Whether they continue their relationship with Diamond Sports, turn to MLB for direct broadcasting, or find another third-party partner, the Royals will need to secure a long-term deal that benefits both the team and its fans. The Royals are under pressure to act quickly, but the changing landscape of sports broadcasting means that the possibilities for the team are now broader than ever before. As the clock ticks down to the 2025 season, it’s clear that the Royals’ broadcasting future will soon be decided, and whatever direction they choose will have significant implications for the team’s visibility and financial viability in the years ahead.