Recent changes in network rights have meant that the 25-year-old Fox Sports regional networks will now come under a new banner – Bally Sports. It’s little wonder then that sports fans have been slow to adjust to the transition. And with many Americans ditching cable TV for streaming services in recent months, the umbrage over the transition has been heard loud and clear.
Nevertheless, there is little that fans can do about the change, except for shifting to cable TV or subscribing to services that host Bally Sports if they want to catch up with the best of regional live games and sporting events.
How I feel about fox sports being replaced by Bally sports pic.twitter.com/EoZqy0MB8x
— ASI?PlayoffSzn°? (@Ayton_SZN) April 1, 2021
Here’s everything you need to know about Bally Sports Midwest and how you can have access to these rebranded sports networks.
Related: What Channel Is Bally Sports On Directv/Spectrum?
What is Bally Sports Midwest?
Bally Sports is the new banner for the sports networks that were once under Fox Sports. A total of 19 different regional sports networks are now roofed under the Bally Sports, with the Fox Sports Midwest network now remodeled as Bally Sports Midwest. This sports networks is available throughout eastern and central Missouri, Downstate Illinois, Nebraska, and Iowa.
The transition has come two years after Disney sold its Fox regional sports networks to Sinclair Broadcast Group. The latter, in a partnership with Bally’s Corporation after which the networks are rebranded, launched Bally Sports Midwest on the 1st of April, a day that coincided with the start of Major League Baseball.
Bally Sports: Ohio | Detroit | Wisconsin
How to watch Bally Sports Midwest?
The opening day was celebrated with great pomp and show, and it is clear that Bally Sports wants to make the changeover as seamless and inviting as possible.
But that has hardly been the case as many fans are left wondering how they can watch their favorite sports teams and live games now that there the Fox regional sports channels are under a different moniker.
Even though the viewing options are definitely limited as of now, Bally Sports Midwest will be accessible on the same traditional cable networks and satellite services that hosted Fox Sports Midwest before. In that, there is no change. The changes are predominantly cosmetic in nature, but there is also going to be a more extensive coverage of games and teams with a few additional gambling features thrown in to facilitate the punters.
What channel is Bally Sports Midwest on?
The same is true for the channel numbers as well. Here are the channel numbers for Bally Sports Midwest on popular traditional cable TV:
- Cass: 197
- Spectrum: 826
- Comcast Xfinity: 520
- DirecTV: 671
- Fidelity: 472
There are many other cable systems that host Bally Sports Midwest. Refer to program listings for channel availability or check out the channel listings for your area here.
Related: Bally Sports App Availability and Release Date
Bally Sports Midwest streaming
Other than cable TV, Bally Sports Midwest is also available on AT&T TV – the only streaming service that has access to Bally Sports Midwest. Those who have subscribed to AT&T TV’s Choice package for $84.99 a month can rest easy knowing that they have full access to Bally Sports Midwest.
Currently, no other Bally Sports deals with third-party streaming services are in the pipeline and it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be any for the foreseeable future. That means none of the popular live TV streaming services such as YouTube TV, fuboTV, Dish Network, Sling TV or Philo will help you.
Is Bally Sports Midwest on Hulu + Live TV
Streaming services that dropped the Bally Sports Midwest channels includes Hulu + Live TV as well. After last October, the Sinclair Broadcast Group has had troubles getting the streaming service to pick Bally Sports Midwest back up. As is usually the case in such situations, it is a matter of money. The pecuniary problems don’t look like they will go away anytime soon. Unfortunately for the Sinclair group, then, as well as sports fans, that is how things stand right now.
Bally Sports Midwest App
Along with the rebranded regional sports networks, Bally Sports is also set to replace the Fox Sports Go app with its Bally Sports app. Although the app is still a few weeks from launch, it is already touted to have additional in-app streaming and gambling features.
The new Bally Sports app is in the final stages of development and we can’t wait to bring you this new game viewing experience. In the meantime, you can continue streaming on FOX Sports GO until the transition to the new app is complete.
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) April 1, 2021
One of the changes to the game coverage on these renamed networks is a new statistic which will be shown on live game scorecards, added especially for punters so that they can refer to it and place bets. This they will be able to do from the Bally Sports app itself, that is, once it is out.
And that is all the information that viewers require to understand the rebranding of Fox Sports Midwest networks to Bally Sports Midwest. If your cable service package included Fox Sports regional networks before, they will still be available to you on the same channels, but as Bally Sports from now on.
