TAMPA – Subscribers to the Bally Sports streaming service were unable to watch most of Bally Sports Sun’s coverage of the Lightning’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Columbus due to a bug in the network’s app, the latest problem with the Team, do not see again TV rights holder.
There were no issues broadcasting on cable (Spectrum), satellite (DirecTV) or streaming services (Fubo) with the Bally Sports networks.
The app bug also affected subscribers to Bally Sports’ regional direct-to-consumer streaming service in other markets, including Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Milwaukee affect their ability to watch local NHL and NBA games.
Bally Sports Sun streaming subscribers reported that they encountered a similar issue with the app on Monday while trying to watch the Lightning’s game against the Seattle Kraken.
Subscribers were unable to log in before Thursday’s game at 7 p.m., but instead encountered a long delay followed by a pop-up that said, “Out of bounds: We’re having trouble loading your page.” Multiple attempts resulted in the same thing Result. At 7:32 a.m., Bally said it had been notified of the problem and was working on a solution. At 10:44. Long after the Lightning game ended, Bally announced that the problem had been fixed.
Is anyone in Tampa Bay back online with the Bally Sports app? #GoBolts https://t.co/t6MWRhrJwx pic.twitter.com/UPzdwkXuhL
— Edward A. Oak (@EddieInTheYard) November 3, 2023
The problem stems from a widespread problem with the app’s third-party identity service, Okta, which caused login issues for some of its customers, the Detroit Free Press reported.
On Friday, Bally Sports continued to work through the issues that caused intermittent outages to its app and website.
Bally Sports is offering credits to affected customers. You can reach the network’s customer service team online at help.ballysports.com.
When Sinclair Sports bought former regional sports networks Fox Sports four years ago and rebranded them under the Bally Sports umbrella, the company promised to revolutionize live sports streaming with a comprehensive, high-tech app that would provide interactive statistics and an in -App would contain sports betting function.
That never happened because Diamond Sports, the company that operates the 19 Bally Sports RSNs that broadcast games for about 70 NHL, Major League Baseball and NBA teams, is $8.6 billion in debt was burdened and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March to consolidate debts and remain operational.
Shortly before, when Bally’s rights ownership contract with the Lightning was about to expire, the broadcaster reached an agreement with the team on a contract extension. The length and details of the agreement were not disclosed.
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So far, the Tampa Bay region has been a success, at least in terms of viewership. Lightning viewership on Bally Sports Sun increased 60% year-on-year in 2022-23. According to Nielsen data, the Rays’ viewership is up 27% this season compared to 2022.
Over the years, disputes over carriage fees have made the Bally Sports networks less accessible to viewers as cable providers (Frontier) and streaming services (YouTube TV, Hulu) have dropped the Bally Sports networks from their subscription packages.
Bally Sports then focused its efforts on its direct-to-consumer subscription service, which costs $19.99 per month and $189.99 for a full year. This year, the company introduced cheaper seasonal plans for viewers who only want to watch during a specific sports season.
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