TV schedule, Xfinity alternatives, start time for Predators-Canucks in Game 6 NHL playoffs
The Nashville Predators will face the Vancouver Canucks at 6 p.m. CT Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Game 6 of the best-of-seven series. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT and MAX, and locally on Bally Sports South, the NHL announced Wednesday.
Unless you are an Xfinity Comcast customer, that is. In that case, you'll either have to switch to the national broadcast or find other alternatives.
That's because Comcast, which owns Xfinity, and Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports, failed to reach an agreement over broadcast rights before Tuesday's deadline, resulting in many sports fans having their viewing experience interrupted.
Like all Bally channels, Bally Sports South went black at 11:26 p.m. CT Tuesday during the Predators' 2-1 victory against the Canucks in Game 5. That left Xfinity customers searching for ways to continue watching the game, which also was broadcast on TBS. It also left many fans across the country searching for alternative ways to watch their favorite teams.
"We understand what's going on with Bally Sports and Comcast and we applaud Bally for working so hard to emerge from its bankruptcy reorganization, but the timing is very difficult for our fan base," Predators chief marketing officer Bill Wickett told The Tennessean on Wednesday.
"Fortunately, national broadcasters are televising these games as well, so fans in Nashville with Comcast can still watch them on the Turner networks."
How to watch Nashville Predators on Bally Sports without Xfinity
TV channel: Bally Sports South locally (except for Xfinity customers), national telecasts
Stream: Bally Sports+ app, FUBO (free trial)
How can I watch Predators games without Xfinity?
For the duration of the playoffs, simply watching the national broadcasts will work. But there are several other options. Bally Sports South remains on DirecTV and FUBO. The Bally Sports+ app also is an option, with the exception of those with Xfinity logins. Those outside of this market can watch on NHL.TV.
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What's the future of Bally Sports channels?
After being on the threshold of bankruptcy, Diamond Sports finally declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023. In early March of this year, the group submitted a reorganization plan that includes ridding the group of its naming-rights deal with Bally.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TV schedule, start time for Predators vs Canucks in NHL playoff Game 6
