Major Rangers TV Broadcast Change Brewing for 2024
Following celebrations of their World Series title, the Texas Rangers have quickly had to pivot their attention to the 2024 campaign with the offseason kicking into high gear. With free agency officially underway, Texas has the opportunity to make some major shakeups in order to repeat next season.
However, it turns out the roster might not be the only thing underdoing significant changes for next year.
Evan Drellich of the Athletic reports the Rangers' broadcast deal with Diamond Sports Group is in jeopardy of being terminated. Drelich's sources say Texas and the Cleveland Guardians' arrangements with the struggling media company are "on the chopping block" as Diamond tries to naviagte through its bankruptcy situation.
If this deal is broken, the Rangers would then receive their rights back and could shop them to another TV partner. Otherwise, their games will likely be broadcast by MLB itself, which did the same thing for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks this past season.
This could eventually benefit Texas in the long-term if the team is able to find a better deal or partner with a network that's more easily accessible to fans. However, it could have short-term negative impacts on the Rangers' books, as their current contract with Diamond is valued at $111 million annually.
Some clarity on this situation should arrive in the next month with a hearing on the matter expected for "no later than Dec. 8," according to Drellich. For now, it seems entirely possible the reigning World Series champs will be viewed somewhere else in 2024.
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