Bally Sports rebrand to FanDuel started Monday

Minnesota sports fans will see the latest development in the Diamond Sports bankruptcy on Tuesday when FanDuel Sports Network broadcasts the Wild’s game against the Florida Panthers.

Bally Sports North, which has been broadcasting Timberwolves, Twins and Wild games since 2021, was officially rebranded FanDuel Sports on Monday.

The rebrand won’t affect viewers this season. Cable and satellite channels will remain the same — as will the broadcast teams — and the only change to the streaming app will be the rebranded name, the Wild said in a release.

The Twins officially ended their contract with Diamond Sports this fall, moving to a Major League Baseball-owned platform that streams directly to consumers and will include a television broadcast component.

The Wild are one of nine NHL with extant deals with Diamond Sports to broadcast their games this season but they, and the rest of the NHL, are exploring their options. It wasn’t immediately clear whether FanDuel gives Diamond Sports additional bargaining power with its nine NHL and 13 NBA teams.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said in September that Amazon, which produces content for the league’s seven Canadian teams, gave the Wild a presentation last month.

“They’re very interested in what we have,” he said before a preseason game against the Blackhawks. “They’re doing stuff for us in Canada. They are incredibly happy with the results they’ve had in Canada, so hopefully we can expand that.”

Leipold, speaking during a preseason game last month, said the team already has an option for next season that isn’t Diamond/FanDuel.

“It’s not as good as the Bally’s, but long-term, it may be better,” he said. “We don’t know.”