Sinclair Broadcast Group and Bally’s Corporation Formally Rebrand Regional Sports Networks as Bally Sports, Ushering in New Era for Live Sports
Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI) and Bally's Corporation (NYSE: BALY) have officially rebranded Sinclair's regional sports networks as Bally Sports. This change follows their strategic partnership announced in November 2020. The rebranding aims to enhance viewer engagement with innovative sports experiences, set to begin in time for Major League Baseball's season start on April 1. Bally's has secured naming rights for 19 RSNs and plans to launch a Bally Sports app, providing subscribers access to local teams and live games. More upgrades, including gamification features, are planned in the future.
- Official rebranding of RSNs to Bally Sports creates new opportunities for fan engagement.
- Launch of Bally Sports app expected to improve accessibility to local teams and games.
- Strategic partnership with Bally’s aims to innovate the sports viewing experience.
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Today, Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI) and Bally's Corporation (NYSE: BALY) announced the official rebrand of its regional sports networks (RSNs) as Bally Sports, ushering in a new era in the way people watch and interact with live sports. The rebrand comes on the heels of the November 2020 announcement of the enterprise-wide, long-term strategic partnership between Sinclair and Bally’s.
“Through our alliance with Bally’s and others, the RSNs will create innovative experiences for sports fans when rooting for their favorite local sports teams,” said Chris Ripley, President and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group. “The rebrand is the ideal first step as we further our efforts to thoroughly change the paradigm of the in-home sports experience, elevating how audiences view and interact with live sports content. We can’t wait to roll out even more game-changing options for fans everywhere in the future.”
In conjunction with the partnership, Bally’s acquired naming rights for all Sinclair RSNs, previously branded with the FOX name, and will leverage the brand to elevate each property for fans in a transformative way. Beginning today, audiences across the country will experience some of the new changes just in time for the start of Major League Baseball on April 1. In addition, an official Bally Sports app is expected to be released shortly thereafter, giving authenticated subscribers access to their favorite local teams and games in market.
George Papanier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bally’s Corporation, said, “We are pleased to have achieved this important milestone in our transformative partnership with the RSNs and Sinclair. We look forward to the coming launch of the Bally Sports app, which we believe will be an engaging and creative platform for users across the nation, as well as our future plans to provide unmatched gamified sports content to local sports fans.”
The official rebrand is the first phase for the Bally Sports networks, with more exciting plans for upgrading these assets in the coming months and years. Chief among these improvements is the gamification of sports, which will provide fans the opportunity to interact with games in real time, on a personalized level, creating a new lean-in experience for fans across the country.
Upon rebranding, the Sinclair-owned and operated RSN portfolio will now include the following 19 network brands: Bally Sports Arizona; Bally Sports Detroit; Bally Sports Florida; Bally Sports Great Lakes; Bally Sports Kansas City; Bally Sports Indiana; Bally Sports Midwest; Bally Sports New Orleans; Bally Sports North; Bally Sports Ohio; Bally Sports Oklahoma; Bally Sports San Diego; Bally Sports SoCal; Bally Sports South; Bally Sports Southeast; Bally Sports Southwest; Bally Sports Sun; Bally Sports West; and, Bally Sports Wisconsin.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair is a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 186 television stations in 87 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
About Bally Corporation
Bally's Corporation currently owns and manages 11 casinos across seven states, a horse racetrack and 13 authorized OTB licenses in Colorado. With approximately 6,000 employees, the Company's operations include 12,890 slot machines, 443 game tables and 2,904 hotel rooms. Following the completion of pending acquisitions, which include Tropicana Evansville (Evansville, IN), Jumer’s Casino & Hotel (Rock Island, IL), and MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa (Lake Tahoe, NV), as well as the construction of a land-based casino near the Nittany Mall in State College, PA, Bally's will own and manage 15 casinos across 11 states. Bally's also maintains a multi-year market access partnership with Elite Casino Resorts, through which it will provide mobile sports betting in Iowa, as well as a temporary sports wagering permit to conduct online sports betting in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “BALY.”
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210331005965/en/
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