It’s going to be the first multi-sport streaming option, and there’s a lot that you need to know about this service. So we are here to tell you everything you need to know about this new service. As usual, this post will be updated periodically as more information surfaces about Bally Sports Plus, and as new features roll out. So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about Bally Sports Plus.
What is Bally Sports Plus?
Bally Sports Plus is the new streaming service from Sinclair that will have all of the Bally Sports RSNs in a streaming format. This is why Sinclair has not renewed carriage agreements with most streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Because they want their own streaming service.
Sinclair got into regional sports networks back in 2019. Disney bought the majority of Fox. This included 21st Century Fox, as well as the Fox RSNs. However, in order to get the deal approved by regulatory bodies, Disney needed to sell the Fox RSNs, because Disney already owned ESPN. And that would lead to sports networks being less competitive. So Sinclair stepped in, back in April 2019, and bought all of the Fox Sports networks. That was everything except for the YES Network, FS1 and FS2. YES Network was sold to the Yankee Global Enterprises, and FS1/FS2 stayed with Fox. Now, over the years, Sinclair has been known as a pretty greedy company, and that’s been no different with its regional sports networks. It renamed Fox Sports to Bally Sports, which was an interesting name, since many likely think of “Bally” as “Bally Total Fitness” a gym that was popular in the early 2000s. It ceased operations in 2016. Sinclair licensed the naming rights for Bally, so there’s a chance it could get renamed again in 10 years when the deal expires. But that’s a short history of how Bally Sports started, and what Bally Sports Plus actually is.
When does it launch?
Bally Sports Plus had a soft-launch in June with six of its markets getting access to the service. That included: Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Florida, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports Kansas City, and Bally Sports Wisconsin. Now, the company has announced that the streaming service will be available to the rest of its markets starting on September 26. That is ahead of the NHL and NBA pre-seasons and regular seasons. So you’ll be able to watch the NBA and NHL without getting cable again.
Where can I get Bally Sports Plus?
Bally Sports Plus will, unfortunately, only be available in markets that Bally Sports is available in. That includes these markets:
Bally Sports ArizonaBally Sports DetroitBally Sports FloridaBally Sports Great LakesBally Sports Kansas CityBally Sports IndianaBally Sports MidwestBally Sports New OrleansBally Sports NorthBally Sports OhioBally Sports OklahomaBally Sports San DiegoBally Sports SoCalBally Sports SouthBally Sports SoutheastBally Sports SouthwestBally Sports SunBally Sports WestBally Sports Wisconsin
Bally Sports hosts more than half of the MLB, NHL and NBA teams that are based in the US. And they produce over 4,600 live local professional telecasts each year. So there’s a lot of content there. However, Bally Sports does not own the exclusive streaming rights to many teams just yet. Which means that not all markets will have all games that are normally on Bally Sports.
What sports and teams are available?
For the soft launch of Bally Sports Plus, we’ll see five MLB teams available on the service. That includes the Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers. Later this year, subscribers will be able to stream NBA and NHL teams that are also carried on the Bally Sport RSNs. Basically, if you are in a market that doesn’t have Bally Sports, like say Boston, then Bally Sports Plus isn’t going to do anything for you. As you’re only going to see in-market games with Bally Sports Plus. Which is rather unfortunate, as this would be a great way for people to watch games from other markets all over the country. However, there are many different streaming rights that are in the way of that happening. To watch out-of-market games, the best bet is still going to be MLB.TB, NHL.TV via ESPN Plus, the NBA League Pass. Here are the teams that are available on Bally Sports Plus when the service does its full rollout: MLB
Arizona DiamondbacksAtlanta BravesCincinatti RedCleveland GuardiansDetroit TigersKansas City RoyalsLos Angeles AngelsMiami MarlinsMilwaukee BrewersMinnesota TwinsSan Diego PadresSt. Louis CardinalsTampa Bay RaysTexas Rangers
NBA
Atlanta HawksCharlotte HornetsCleveland CavaliersDallas MavericksDetroit PistonsIndiana PacersLos Angeles ClippersMemphis GrizzliesMiami HeatMilwaukee BucksMinnesota TimberwolvesNew Orleans PelicansOklahoma City ThunderOrlando MagicPhoenix SunsSan Antonio Spurs
NHL
Anaheim DucksArizona CoyotesCarolina HurricanesColumbus Blue JacketsDallas StarsDetroit Red WingsFlorida PanthersLos Angeles KingsMinnesota WildNashville PredatorsSt Louis BluesTampa Bay Lightning
How much does it cost?
Bally Sports Plus will cost you $19.99 per month. That is quite pricey for what is essentially three local teams that you’ll be able to watch here (some markets will have more, like Bally Sports SoCal, Southwest and Southeast for example), and that’s if you’re lucky. As not every market has an MLB, NBA and NHL team. It is pricey, but let’s not forget that sports are pretty pricey anyways. That’s a big reason why streaming live TV services are so expensive, ESPN and FS1/FS2 are the most expensive components of those services.
Is there an annual plan?
There is an annual plan for Bally Sports Plus. You can pay $189.99 for the full year. That works out to be about $15.83 per month. Saving you almost $5 per month. Which isn’t bad, and a bit easier to stomach, than the $20 per month, which would be $240 for the full year.
What features does Bally Sports Plus have?
Since Bally Sports Plus isn’t actually live yet (it will be on June 23), we don’t know all of the features that will be available on the service. But we do have a general idea of what to expect. It’s a live TV service, and it’s only showing sports, so you’re not going to have any parental controls here. Bally Sports Plus will also let you watch some content when you’re traveling. But you’ll need to come back and verify your Zip code every so often (this is usually once every 30 days).
Live Stats & Highlights
It’s a sports TV service, so having live stats and highlights is basically a must. Bally Sports Plus has said that it will be available. But we aren’t sure what extent it will be. Nor how good it’ll be. YouTube TV does this perfectly actually. Bally Sports Plus will also let you have access to on-demand games after they air, to watch them in their entirety.
Ads
Bally Sports Plus is a streaming TV service, so of course there will be ads. Since you’re watching just as you would be on Cable or on Hulu + Live TV, you won’t be able to skip them. And there will be a good amount of local ads for the market you’re in. There is also talk of there being pre-roll ads during on-demand content and highlights. There’s no word on a ad-free experience, but as we’ve mentioned already, that would only be for on-demand content and not live stuff.
Up to 2 simultaneous devices
This is actually on the low side for streaming services, but Bally Sports Plus is expected to let you watch on up to two devices simultaneously. Most others will let you watch on three devices or more at the same time. But, sports is different, and costs more money. So it’s expected.
What devices are compatible?
Bally Sports Plus is available on virtually every streaming platform out there. That includes: It’s good to see that virtually everything is available coming out of the gate, unlike some other streaming services in the past.
Will sports be available in 4K?
This won’t come as a major surprise, but Bally Sports Plus will not be streaming in 4K. Instead, most of its streams are going to be in 1080p instead. Which is still an upgrade from the version that is shown on cable, which is limited to 720p instead. So there’s that. It’ll stream at 60fps and have stereo sound as well. While 120fps would definitely be better for sports, that also means more cash. Which means you’re going to be paying more.
Should I sign up for Bally Sports Plus?
This is a tough one. Because we all love our sports and love watching our local teams, but $20 per month to watch those teams does seem pretty pricey. On top of what you’re already spending for streaming TV, Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services. If you really want to watch your teams, then yes it’s worth signing up. However, I would recommend signing up for the monthly plan first, so if you don’t like it, you didn’t just pay for an entire year of the service.
