History
The network was established after Fox Sports Networks reached a 20-year broadcast agreement for the regional cable television rights to carry games from the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball, displacing previous rights holder 4SD, a local cable channel owned by Cox Communications. Henry S. Ford, an executive who previously ran operations at Fox's regional sports networks in Detroit and Ohio, was appointed as president and general manager of Fox Sports San Diego.[2]
Fox Sports San Diego launched on March 17, 2012, with a San Diego Padres spring training game against the Kansas City Royals.[3] The network started operations with a minimal presence and no dedicated editing facilities or studio; during its first season, Padres game broadcasts were produced from a high-definition production truck inherited from 4SD. Pre-game and post-game shows were also produced from the same truck, and broadcast from a semi-permanent stage in the "Park at the Park" area of Petco Park, using a set inspired by a similar staging used by Fox for major sports events televised nationally. Resources have been shared with other FSN outlets; editing facilities were initially based out of Los Angeles, and master control is co-located alongside Fox's other regional sports networks at a facility near Houston, Texas.[4]
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 the company's 80% stake in Fox Sports San Diego. 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.[5] The deal closed on August 22, 2019.[6] 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.[7] On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the 2021 Major League Baseball season, Fox Sports San Diego was rebranded as Bally Sports San Diego, resulting in 18 other Regional Sports Networks renamed Bally Sports in their respective regions.
Bankruptcy
On February 15, 2023, Diamond Sports Group, the owner of Bally Sports San Diego, failed to make a $140 million interest payment, instead opting for a 30-day grace period to make the payment.[9] On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[10]
After filing for bankruptcy, Diamond Sports missed a payment to the Padres in mid-March and entered a grace period. Diamond Sports eventually made the payment on March 29.[11] In mid-May, Diamond Sports missed a second payment to the Padres and once again entered a grace period. On May 30, Diamond let the grace period expire, saying it had "decided not to provide additional funding to the San Diego RSN that would enable it to make the rights payment to the San Diego Padres during the grace period." Because Bally Sports San Diego is a joint venture between the Padres and Diamond, it is technically not in bankruptcy. Therefore, this missed payment did not have the same bankruptcy protections that Diamond's other missed payments had.[12] As a result, the Padres May 30 game at the
