Sinclair Unveils Bally Logo Ahead of 19 Regional Sports Networks' Rebranding

Sinclair and Bally’s unveiled a Bally Sports logo Wednesday to go along with 19 renamed regional sports networks that will be officially rebranded under the casino management company’s name over the next few months, part of a 10-year agreement announced in November (see 2011190028). The Bally Sports logo "signifies a new, transformative chapter in the regional sports business and is representative of our cohesive partnership with Bally's," said Steve Rosenberg, Sinclair president-local sports. The rollout of Bally's logo across Sinclair's RSNs is a first step in a “transformational partnership that is going to revolutionize the U.S. sports betting, gaming and media industries,” said Bally's CEO George Papanier. The company will integrate its content, including a fantasy sports platform it's buying from Monkey Knife Fight, into live game day coverage across the RSNs, he said. The Sinclair-owned and operated RSN portfolio will include Bally Sports Arizona and like-named networks covering Detroit, Florida, the Great Lakes, Kansas City, Indiana, the Midwest, New Orleans, the North, Ohio, Oklahoma, San Diego, Southern California, the South, Southeast, Southwest, Sun Belt, West and Wisconsin. Two Sinclair RSNs will be renamed when Prime Ticket becomes Bally Sports SoCal and Sports Time Ohio becomes Bally Sports Great Lakes. Readers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in what’s currently Fox Sports Midwest territory, had varying responses to an article reporting the name change. User rwlofton called it “ironic that the Cincinnati Reds will now be televised by Bally Sports Ohio, while Pete Rose is still barred from the Hall of Fame.” Lori.vvs wondered, “Will the partnership between baseball & gambling stop some parents from letting their kids watch baseball?” The reader also mused that a bad call by an umpire will lead to the question: "What Are the Odd's??" Mvassel asked if the Bally’s arrangement will “help contract talks with streaming companies that have dropped FSMW?” Said The Shadow: "Sports presented by gambling interests. What could possibly go wrong?" The deal positions Sinclair to eventually buy up to 30% of Bally’s common stock, pending regulatory approval. Sinclair’s RSN portfolio will receive annual naming rights fees and a percentage of Bally’s Interactive’s marketing spending.