Padres fans in Vegas will now have an easier time watching games with latest TV deal

The best word to describe the current state of the San Diego Padres is probably "messy." They certainly aren't a bad team, but there is a lot of uncertainty at multiple positions to start the 2024 season. San Diego has definitely trimmed down their payroll, but they aren't being cheapskates, either, and the Dylan Cease trade shows that AJ Preller is still willing to be aggressive. Even with the Padres TV broadcast situation, nothing has been simple.

After MLB had to step in during the 2023 season to broadcast Padres games after Diamond Sports' bankruptcy torpedoed San Diego's TV deal, the future of the team's TV rights has been decidedly unclear. The Padres did manage to secure a deal this season to have their games broadcast locally, but details were pretty sparse. However, it does look like things have finally come together and Padres games will even be available in Las Vegas without getting the MLB package after the team's latest TV deal.

Padres' use piecemeal approach to TV broadcasts in 2024

Instead of going with a one-stop, one-channel approach to broadcasting games in 2024, San Diego has had to stitch together multiple channels for broadcasts to make things work this season. For Padres fans in Vegas, the team struck a deal with Cox to show Padres games on channel 379.

These developments certainly help the Padres this season, but doesn't solve the TV broadcast situation in the long-term. With the sports TV landscape very much in flux across the league, it may be a while before a long-term solution is in place and some of that is going to be contingent on how Diamond Sports emerges from their bankruptcy and what that means for the TV and streaming rights for all of those teams going forward.

For now, Padres fans can rest assured that watching games should be easier this season than it was in 2023, but the jury is still out as to what the future holds after that.

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