The TV rights fees bubble has yet to burst. The latest beneficiaries of it: the Dbacks:
Those expectations are for either a 15 or 20-year deal. According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks currently take in around $31 million annually for their TV rights. If this new deal is for 15 years, it would triple that number on an annual basis, putting it north of $90 million a year. To put that in perspective, their 2014 payroll was only $108 million. As such, the club is not too terribly far from breaking even before they even sell a ticket, a hot dog, a t-shirt or a big foam finger.
The Diamondbacks became the latest team to cash in on baseball’s exploding local television market, agreeing to remain with Fox Sports Arizona under a contract that’s believed to be worth in excess of $1 billion.
Sources would not provide details of the agreement, such as specific financial terms or even the length of the contract, but there are indications the deal is in line with expectations based on previous comments from club officials.
Those expectations are for either a 15 or 20-year deal. According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks currently take in around $31 million annually for their TV rights. If this new deal is for 15 years, it would triple that number on an annual basis, putting it north of $90 million a year. To put that in perspective, their 2014 payroll was only $108 million. As such, the club is not too terribly far from breaking even before they even sell a ticket, a hot dog, a t-shirt or a big foam finger.
