Sinclair Unveils Branding For ex-FOX RSNs

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If you weren’t yet convinced that the confluence of pro sports and gambling wasn’t just more than a fad, Sinclair Broadcast Group has perhaps just made a move that will change that for good.


The company led by CEO Chris Ripley has shed all vestiges of FOX Sports branding from its recently acquired regional sports networks (RSNs) by moving forward with the release of logos reflecting their previously announced rebranding.

Bally Sports regional logos will replace the existing FOX Sports regional logos when the networks officially rebrand in the coming months.

For Sinclair President of Local Sports Steve Rosenberg, the formal unveiling of the Bally Sports logo — along with its regional variants — “signifies a new, transformative chapter in the regional sports business and is representative of our cohesive partnership with Bally’s. The upcoming rebrand across our RSN footprint is incredibly exciting, not only for our entire portfolio, but for loyal sports fans across the country.”

Created in concert with Interbrand, Bally’s marketing consultancy group, the logo features the iconic red Bally script atop a red “sports” typography.

As part of the rebrand, two RSNs will transition to new geographic monikers when
Prime Ticket becomes Bally Sports SoCal. At the same time, Sports Time Ohio (STO) becomes Bally Sports Great Lakes.

The moves, says Sinclair, come in an effort “to further align the regions with their true
geographical roots and the new Bally’s partnership.”

The Prime Ticket name has disappeared once before, only to come back by popular demand from local sports fans. STO has a long heritage in the Buckeye State.

Meanwhile, two limited part-time channels – FOX Sports Carolinas and FOX Sports Tennessee – will be “sunset.” All live games and original programming – namely Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes content – will shift to FOX Sports South under the new name Bally Sports South and FOX Sports Southeast, which becomes Bally Sports Southeast, respectively.

Upon rebranding, the Sinclair-owned and operated RSN portfolio will include the following 19 network brands: Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports Detroit, Bally Sports Florida, Bally
Sports Great Lakes, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports
Midwest, Bally Sports New Orleans, Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports
Oklahoma, Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports South, Bally Sports
Southeast, Bally Sports Southwest, Bally Sports Sun, Bally Sports West, and Bally
Sports Wisconsin.

Bally’s and Sinclair in November struck a long-term strategic partnership that would
combine Bally’s sports betting technology with Sinclair’s market footprint, which includes not only 188 local broadcast stations but also the Tennis Channel.

The Bally’s brand is known primarily for its casinos, online sports betting and iGaming solutions.

The partnership also marked “a major milestone” for Sinclair, it says, “setting the stage for further gamification of live sports that will provide audiences a first-of-its-kind interactive viewing experience.”