The Padres have been told that Bally Sports San Diego’s parent company will make its annual payment ahead of Wednesday’s 11:59 p.m. deadline, a Major League Baseball source confirmed for the Union-Tribune — a development that would continue the network’s broadcasts beginning with Thursday’s opener against the Colorado Rockies.
Diamond Sports Group, which operates Bally’s regional sports networks, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Padres Chief Executive Officer Erik Greupner said on 97.3 The Fan on Wednesday morning that the team had been assured payment would arrive before the grace period expires late Wednesday.Diamond has filed for bankruptcy protection to eliminate more than $8 billion of the company’s debt, It missed its rights fee payment to the Padres earlier this month.
While the embattled company had assured that it would continue to bring games to fans, Major League Baseball had been positioning itself to take over broadcasts should Diamond default on any of its contracts with teams.