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From Fox to Bally Sports as new era begins

Goodbye, Fox. Hello, Bally.

Most of the regional sports networks began a new chapter Wednesday as they switched over from Fox Sports to Bally Sports. The rebranding of 19 regional networks has been nearly a two-year process after they were purchased by the Sinclair Broadcast Group from Walt Disney Company for $10 billion in 2019. Disney was required by the Department of Justice to sell the networks in order for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets to be approved.

Those regional networks that fall under the Bally Sports banner hold the local rights to 42 professional teams — 16 NBA, 14 MLB and 12 NHL. It is the largest rebrand since the SportsChannel networks became a part of Fox Sports in 1998.

As part of the acquisition, Sinclair could use the Fox Sports name for only 18 months. Chris Ripley, president and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, said the process of switching over the networks, from updating graphics to getting a consistent look for studios, was going to take time.

“Fox was eager for us to rebrand, but just from a practical perspective it’s no small feat when you’re switching over all of the websites, apps, studios and signage,” he said. “Also, in this case we wanted to find a partner since we didn’t have a brand ourselves in mind, and we wanted to create value out of the brand itself.”

The partnership also makes sense for Bally’s Corporation, which signed a 10-year naming rights agreement with Sinclair last November. By the end of the year, Bally’s will own and manage 15 casinos in 11 states, most of which already have legalized sports gambling.

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