内容摘要：SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Comcast has blacked out 15 regional sports networks offered by Bally Sports, es

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Comcast has blacked out 15 regional sports networks offered by Bally Sports, escalating a contract dispute with their distributor.

The cutoff affects games played by a dozen Major League Baseball teams based in nine states. Diamond Sports Group, which distributes the networks under the Bally name, called the blackout “disappointing” and blamed Comcast for refusing to “engage in substantive discussions.”

Comcast, meanwhile, said Diamond has declined several of its offers, such as allowing Diamond to unilaterally renew its existing agreement with Comcast for a year. As a result, Comcast said, it no longer held rights to the sports broadcasts as of Wednesday and had no choice but to cut them off. It said it will be crediting its customers for the costs associated with the blacked-out broadcasts, saying that most will automatically receive monthly credits of $8 to $10.