Bally Sports Offers Cord-Cutters 1080p Live Game Streams, First-Time In-Market Access COO/GM Michael Schneider: I think we have an opportunity here to bring something to fans that they've never had before' By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 - 3:39 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Almost anyone who works in streaming media will tell you that the old mantra is true: no news is good news.
That's how things have felt so far this fall for Michael Schneider, chief operating officer and general manager of new regional-sports-network streaming service Bally Sports . The service, which went wide to all 19 Bally Sports markets on Sept. 26, is up and running with both the NBA and the NHL seasons fully under way, and his team has been pretty pleased with how the product has performed.
Bally Sports grants cord-cutters access to in-market live games across Bally Sports' 19 markets. Features include dynamic graphic overlays that feed many more stats. (Image: Bally Sports)
It was the quietest launch I've ever been a part of, which is usually a good sign, says Schneider. I've been a part of launches where things just get completely lit on fire. The fact that it was out there and it worked well is great. On the support side and on the product-stability side, we're in a pretty good place. That is a huge testament to the team that has been working tirelessly on this.
That team is led by Schneider, in addition to Chief Product Officer Michael Allen, former SVP, digital products and emerging technology, NBA and a key Bally Sports hire in early 2021. Other key contributors include VP, Engineering, Matt Pawluk; VP/Head of Product Timon Chiang; and DTC lead, Bally Sports , Vidya Dabir.
Bally Sports is an important product for the RSN industry: its release marks a notable shift for much of the country, offering a direct-to-consumer streaming product that allows in-market fans to subscribe directly to their local Bally Sports RSN without a third-party live-TV provider, such as cable, satellite, or streaming-TV service (YouTube TV, fuboTV, etc.). Fans in those markets can stream their local NBA and NHL games, a first for cord-cutters. At $19.99 per month, the service isn't cheap, but it does offer a new way to access local games.
I think we have an opportunity here to bring something to fans that they've never had before and to build something that really fits their individual needs and preferences, says Schneider.
Via the Bally Sports app, fans can access on-demand videos, Bally Sports and Stadium original programming, and the live-streamed games. Within the game stream, dynamic graphic overlays can be easily accessed with a tap or a swipe, putting more info in the user's hands. The game streams are 1080p, and, according to a Bally Sports rep, HDR is in the product's future.
MORE: SVG PLAY: Direct-to-Consumer and Authenticated In-Market Live Streaming of RSNs Enters a New Generation
As for the feedback that comes with live streaming, any issues of buffering, outages, or poor image/audio quality inevitably draw the ire of users on platforms like Twitter. The entire industry faces it. Some might even abide by the philosophy of don't read the comments to escape the ruthlessness of the complaints. Schneider doesn't operate that way. In fact, he seeks out feedback both positive and negative to help shape the present and future of the Bally Sports app.
It's important to stay close to places like Reddit, Discord, and across a lot of the social channels to understand what fans are feeling and what they're going through, he explains. I think the better we get at understanding that, the more-effective products we can build. The way fans watch sports and experience sports has changed, and the most complex thing about our business is that every market is different. I think it's important, especially as we staff up, that we stay close to what fans are going through, what they're feeling, and how they want to interact with the product.
If you build a product without [the user] in mind, he continues, then I don't know what you're building.
Bally Sports' Michael Schneider: If you build a product without [the user] in mind, then I don't know what you're building.
Bally Sports was introduced in a soft launch in late June. Diamond Sports Group was able to offer live streams of MLB games to which it had the rights in five markets: Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay. The soft launch was valuable to the Bally Sports development team, Schneider says, because it allowed them to get the service to market, kept conversations open for additions, and even allowed them to reconsider ideas they may have missed initially.
The soft launch, for us, was about getting the product out there and getting customer support up and running, he says. It was a nice trial run for three, four months. In terms of what we learned, I think it was the product improvements made from the soft launch through the end of September that were really big. We looked at buffering and quality, and we're pleased about that. Customer support was responding to things quickly. Given all those operational pieces, I think we were pretty pleased with how that went.
Now that the product is serving all Bally Sports' regions, Schneider says it has been exciting seeing greater usership drive improvements and generate new ideas within the development team.
Now we're out there, and it's exciting to have data actually flowing in from all these different markets, he says. We've seen some good and interesting things in some markets around preseason games and even high school sports that have driven awareness and ultimate engagement for us. I think it's only
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Bally Sports Offers Cord-Cutters 1080p Live Game Streams, First-Time In-Market Access COO/GM Michael Schneider: I think we have an opportunity here to bring something to fans that they've never had before' By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital 
