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FanDuel Sports Network South

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FanDuel Sports South
TypeRegional sports network
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaAlabama
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Nationwide (via satellite)
NetworkFanDuel Sports Network
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Programming
Language(s)English
Picture format720p (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerDiamond Sports Group
ParentSinclair Broadcast Group & Entertainment Studios Networks
Sister channelsFanDuel Sports Network Southeast
History
LaunchedAugust 29, 1990 (34 years ago) (1990-08-29)
Former namesSportSouth (1990–1997)
Fox Sports South (1997–1999, 2012–2021)
Fox Sports Net South (1999–2004)
FSN South (2004–2008)
FS South (2008–2012)
Bally Sports South (2021–2024)
Links
Websitewww.fanduelsportsnetwork.com/south/
Availability
(DirecTV may air some events on an overflow feed due to event conflicts)
Streaming media
FanDuel Sports Network appwww.fanduelsportsnetwork.com
(U.S. cable internet subscribers only; requires login from participating providers to stream content; some events may not be available due to league rights restrictions)
DirecTV StreamInternet Protocol Television
FuboTVInternet Protocol television

FanDuel Sports Network South is an American regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. The network carries regional coverage of professional and collegiate sports events from across the Southern United States, along with other sporting events and programming from FanDuel Sports Network and FanDuel TV.

FanDuel Sports Network South is available on cable providers throughout Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

History

[edit]
Former Fox Sports South logo

FanDuel Sports Network South was originally launched on August 29, 1990, as SportSouth, under the ownership of the Turner Broadcasting System, in conjunction with business partners Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) and Scripps-Howard Broadcasting.[1] At its launch, the channel held the regional cable television rights to the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. Shortly after Turner completed its merger with Time Warner, SportSouth was purchased by News Corporation's Fox Cable Networks in the winter of 1996. The channel was integrated into the recently formed Fox Sports Net group of regional sports networks, and was officially rebranded as Fox Sports South in January 1997.[2] The channel's name was amended to "Fox Sports Net South" in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner).

In 2002, Fox Sports South began producing the Southern Sports Report from its Midtown Atlanta studios, as part of the collective FSN networks' expansion of "regional sports reports" to complement the National Sports Report, both formatted as daily news programs focusing on sports news and highlights. The Atlanta studios served as a production hub for the regional sports reports broadcast on other FSN networks, often utilizing the same anchors (with Terry Chick being the most prominent). The Southern Sports Report was discontinued in 2005; around the same time, FSN South began producing a similar program, Around The South, which focused on sports stories across the region. In 2004, the channel shortened its name to FSN South, through the networks' de-emphasis of the Fox Sports Net brand.

On February 23, 2006, News Corporation purchased the general entertainment cable channel Turner South from the Turner Broadcasting System for $375 million.[3] After the deal was completed, the channel dropped all remaining entertainment programming and converted into a sports-exclusive channel as it became part of the Fox Sports Networks group, adopting the "SportSouth" name formerly used by Fox Sports South. FSN South, which effectively became a sister network to the new SportSouth (which was renamed Fox Sports Southeast in October 2015[4]), reverted to the Fox Sports South moniker in 2008.

In 2008, SportSouth acquired the partial television rights to the Atlanta Braves, splitting the telecasts with Atlanta independent station WPCH-TV (channel 17), which ceased distributing the station's Braves telecasts nationally after its separation from its companion superstation feed TBS (which became a conventional cable network) in October 2007.[5] After Turner turned over the operations of WPCH to the Meredith Corporation under a local marketing agreement in 2011, production of the Braves telecasts was transferred from Turner Sports to Fox Sports South, in a deal in which the channel would produce a package of 45 regular season games each year for WPCH.

On February 28, 2013, Fox Sports South and SportSouth reached a deal with the Braves to acquire the 45 additional Atlanta Braves games beginning with the 2013 season, ending the team's contract with WPCH-TV and marking the first time in 40 years that the team's game telecasts were not available on broadcast television in the Atlanta market.[6][7] In July 2013, News Corporation spun off the Fox Sports Networks and most of its other U.S. entertainment properties into 21st Century Fox.

Former logo as Bally Sports South, used from 2021 to 2024.

On December 14, 2017, as part of a merger between both companies, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports networks from 21st Century Fox, including Fox Sports South and sister network Fox Sports Southeast. However, on June 27, 2018, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN. On May 3, 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (through their joint venture, Diamond Holdings) bought Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion.[8] The deal closed on August 22, 2019.[9] On November 17, 2020, Sinclair announced an agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation to serve as a new naming rights partner for the FSN channels. Sinclair announced the new Bally Sports branding for the channels on January 27, 2021.[10] On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the 2021 Major League Baseball season, Fox Sports South and sister network Fox Sports Southeast was rebranded as Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast, resulting in 18 other Regional Sports Networks renamed Bally Sports in their respective regions.[11] The first live sporting event on the regional network was the opening-day coverage of the Braves visiting the Phillies on April 1. The game was preceded by the "Braves Live" pregame show.[12]

On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.[13]

On October 16, 2024, it was revealed in a court filing that Diamond had reached a new sponsorship agreement with FanDuel Group, under which it intends to rebrand Bally Sports as the FanDuel Sports Network; on October 18, 2024, Diamond officially announced the rebranding, which will take effect October 21.[14][15] Under the agreement, FanDuel will have the option to take a minority equity stake of up to 5% once Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy. The branding will be downplayed within programming related to high school sports.[16][17]

Coverage area

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FanDuel Sports Network South's coverage area includes Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and most of Kentucky. It is, by far, the largest coverage by area and total market reach of any Bally Sports affiliate. As such, the channel is often separated into several sub-regional feeds for the purposes of adhering to the various professional leagues' home territory rules.

For example, Memphis Grizzlies games are only seen in Tennessee, most of Kentucky, northern Mississippi and northern Alabama. Nashville Predators games are available in those markets plus Georgia. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Hurricanes games are only seen in North and South Carolina. Neither team's games are seen elsewhere within FanDuel Sports Network South's coverage area, although Predators games are occasionally rebroadcast in North Carolina. The Atlanta Hawks also have restrictions preventing games from being carried in most of the Carolinas, parts of Mississippi, and all of Kentucky.[18]

In some areas select games from neighboring FanDuel Sports Networks are carried on either FDSN South or an alternate channel. These include games from the St. Louis Cardinals (FanDuel Sports Network Midwest),[19] Indiana Pacers (FanDuel Sports Network Indiana),[20] Cincinnati Reds (FanDuel Sports Network Ohio), and New Orleans Pelicans (Bally Sports New Orleans [before 2024]).

In October 2008, Fox decided to split Fox Sports South into three separate channels to offer more localized sports coverage. It launched separate respective feeds for the Carolinas and most of Tennessee, Fox Sports Carolinas and Fox Sports Tennessee.[21] Fox Sports considered these feeds as separate networks, which maintained their own sub-sites within the main Fox Sports Local website. These channels were collapsed back into the Bally Sports South name when it launched on March 31, 2021, with a common non-gametime schedule, but the separate feeds otherwise continue.

Teams by Media Market

[edit]
MLB NBA NHL WNBA
Atlanta Braves Cincinnati Reds
(FanDuel Sports Network Ohio) 		St. Louis Cardinals
(FanDuel Sports Network Midwest) 		Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Memphis Grizzles Indiana Pacers
(FanDuel Sports Network Indiana) 		New Orleans Pelicans
(WVUE FOX8) 		Carolina Hurricanes Nashville Predators Atlanta Dream
Network(see note) South/Southeast South/Southeast South/Southeast Southeast Southeast Southeast South South South South South/Southeast
Georgia (all markets including Atlanta) Yes No No Yes No No No No Yes Yes Yes
Alabama (excluding Huntsville and Mobile) Yes No No Yes No Yes No No No Yes Yes
Huntsville Yes No No No No Yes No No No Yes Yes
Mobile Yes No No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
Kentucky (excluding Western Kentucky) No Available on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio No No No Yes Yes No No Yes No
Western Kentucky No No Yes No No Yes Yes No No Yes No
Mississippi (excluding Biloxi/Gulfport, Memphis and New Orleans) Yes No No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
Biloxi/Gulfport Yes No No No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes
Northern Mississippi (Memphis) Yes No Yes No No Yes No No No Yes Yes
North Carolina Charlotte, Asheville (excluding Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties), Greensboro-High Point Yes Yes No No Yes No No No Yes No Yes
Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes
Greenville No No No No Yes No No No Yes No No
Raleigh-Durham No No No No Yes No No No Yes No Yes
South Carolina Charleston, Augusta, Savannah, Greenville/Spartanburg (Abbeville, Anderson, and Oconee counties only) Yes No No Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes
Columbia, Greenville/Spartanburg (excluding Abbeville, Anderson, and Oconee counties), Myrtle Beach Yes No No No Yes No No No Yes No Yes
Tennessee Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No No Yes Yes
Memphis, Jackson Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No No No Yes Yes

Note: In Kentucky, eastern North Carolina, and parts of Mississippi, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast is not available. In these areas all games are shown on FanDuel Sports Network South or an alternate channel.

Programming

[edit]

FanDuel Sports Network South holds the exclusive regional cable television rights to the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball franchise; the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA; and the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators of the NHL. The channel also provides coverage of men's college basketball from the Davidson Wildcats and the Missouri Valley Conference, including regional coverage of the Murray State Racers and Belmont Bruins. Due to the naming rights deal with FanDuel, select programming from FanDuel TV is included in the schedule.

Announcers

[edit]

Atlanta Braves

[edit]

Atlanta Hawks

[edit]
  • Bob Rathbun – play-by-play announcer
  • Dominique Wilkins – analyst
  • Treavor Scales – Hawks LIVE host
  • Mike Glenn – Hawks LIVE analyst
  • Tabitha Turner – sideline reporter
  • Vince Carter - analyst (select games) and Hawks Live fill-in pre-game and post-game host

Carolina Hurricanes

[edit]
  • Mike Maniscalco – play-by-play announcer
  • Tripp Tracy – analyst
  • Hanna Yates – Hurricanes LIVE host / in-game reporter
  • Shane Willis – Hurricanes LIVE analyst

Charlotte Hornets

[edit]

Memphis Grizzlies

[edit]
  • Pete Pranica – play-by-play announcer
  • Brevin Knight – analyst
  • Rob Fischer – sideline reporter / Grizzlies LIVE host
  • Chris Vernon – Grizzlies LIVE analyst / contributor (Home Games Only)

Nashville Predators

[edit]
  • Willy Daunic – play-by-play announcer
  • Chris Mason – analyst
  • Kara Hammer – rinkside reporter (home games)
  • Hal Gill – Predators LIVE analyst
  • Lyndsay Rowley – Predators LIVE host/reporter, rinkside reporter (away games)

Former announcers

[edit]
  • Kevin Egan – Atlanta United play-by-play announcer
  • Maurice Edu – Atlanta United analyst
  • Jillian Sakovits – sideline reporter / Atlanta United LIVE host
  • Kelly Crull - reporter / Braves LIVE fill-in pre-game and post-game host
  • Rebecca Kaple – sideline reporter
  • Ashley ShahAhmadi – sideline reporter / Hornets LIVE host
  • Chip Caray – Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer
  • Andre Aldridge – sideline reporter / Hawks LIVE host
  • Mike Glenn – Hawks LIVE analyst
  • Gerald Henderson Hornets LIVE analyst
  • Jerome Jurenovich – Braves LIVE and Hawks LIVE pre-game and post-game host
  • Brian Jordan – Braves LIVE analyst

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sports Network Date Is Set". The New York Times. Reuters. May 17, 1990. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Murdoch launches new network right under Turner’s nose
  3. ^ R. Thomas Umstead (February 23, 2006). "Fox Cable Buys Turner South". Multichannel News. Reed Business Information. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  4. ^ "FOX Sports regional network 'SportSouth' to be rebranded 'FOX Sports Southeast'". Fox Sports South/SportSouth. Fox Sports Networks. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  5. ^ "WTBS to become PeachTree TV". Atlanta Business Journal. American City Business Journals. June 27, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  6. ^ "Fox Picks Up Braves' Games from PeachTree TV". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. March 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  7. ^ "FOX Sports South and SportSouth acquire 45 additional Braves games beginning this season". Fox Sports South. February 28, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  8. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 3, 2019). "Sinclair Clinches Disney-Regional Sports Networks Deal, Byron Allen Joins as Partner". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  9. ^ "Sinclair completes acquisition of regional sports networks from Disney". Bloomberg. August 22, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Novy-Williams, Eben (November 19, 2020). "Bally's Buys Sinclair RSN Naming Rights As Part of Sports Betting Push". Sportico.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "Bally Sports South/Southeast FAQ". FOX Sports. FOX Sports South. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bally Sports South, Bally Sports Southeast set to launch Wednesday, March 31". FOX Sports. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Bouma, Luke (March 14, 2023). "Bally Sports Just Declared Bankruptcy – The Death of RSNs?". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  14. ^ Steinberg, Brian (October 18, 2024). "FanDuel Takes Over Naming Rights to Diamond Sports RSNs". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Diamond Sports branded as FanDuel in new deal". ESPN.com. October 18, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Paul, Tony. "Bally Sports Detroit set to become FanDuel Sports Network; what you need to know". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  17. ^ Randles, Jonathan (October 16, 2024). "Diamond Seeks Approval to Rebrand From Bally Sports to FanDuel". BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  18. ^ "SportSouth to Televise 75 Atlanta Hawks Games". Atlanta Hawks. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "How to watch Cardinals baseball on FOX Sports Midwest". FOX Sports. FOX Sports Midwest. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "How to watch the Pacers on FOX Sports Indiana". FOX Sports. FOX Sports Indiana. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  21. ^ "Fox Sports Launches Regional Nets in Tennessee, Carolinas". Multichannel News. November 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
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