Bally Sports to rebrand under FanDuel name next week

Minnesota Timberwolves fans can say goodbye to Bally Sports North and hello to FanDuel Sports Network North starting next week.

The change comes after a naming rights deal between Diamond Sports Group, the owner of the Bally regional sports networks, and FanDuel.

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Diamond will continue to operate the networks as the company has, but FanDuel now has the rights for network names, integration on live games and additional financial and equity elements.

According to the companies, Diamond and FanDuel will also work on joint direct-to-consumer app to allow viewers to syndicate FanDuel TV programs, like “Up & Adams,” “Run It Back,” and other live programming, across the regional sports networks.

Mike Raffensperger, the president of sports at FanDuel, noted that many of his company’s customers are RSN viewers, so the deal “allows us to further cement the FanDuel brand with sports fans and provides a unique vehicle to reward our users.” Diamond’s CEO, David Preschlack, said the agreement “provides a tremendous pathway for Diamond to elevate the fan experience and deepen the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners.”

The name change will officially take place on Monday and will impact all 16 of Diamond’s RSNs.

Diamond has been embroiled in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings for 19 months but has worked to hold on to many of its MLB, NBA and NHL rights, although several teams have jumped ship when their deals expired, including the Minnesota Twins earlier this month .

A confirmation hearing to consider whether Diamond’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy is viable is expected next month.

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