Twins Broadcasts to Remain on Bally Sports North for 2023

As reported by Phil Miller in the Star Tribune, Diamond Sports Group and the Twins were able to make a deal and pay the $54.8 million due on final year of the Twins’ contract with the Regional Sports Network (RSN). Twins games will continue to air on the network throughout the regular season.

As a judge ordered in a filing at the beginning of June, Diamond had until July 1st to make payments to both the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians.  According to Miller, Diamond has paid the Twins as well as the Rangers and are currently negotiating a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nothing has been reported in the last few days on where the Guardians stand, though the team's games this week are still on the Bally Sports Great Lakes Network schedule.

The trouble for MLB began earlier this year when Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and began skipping payments. The company, a subsidiary of Sinclair and its dozens of local broadcasting networks, was formed out of the merger between 20th Century Fox and Disney. Because Disney already operated ESPN, a judge concerned about consolidation ordered the company to sell the assets, which Sinclair did for $10 billion in 2019. Even before the pandemic, the price was mostly unsustainable for the returns on RSNs given the changing landscape of cable.

Since the announcement of the bankruptcy, MLB has been in court hoping to regain the rights from the company and begin the process of building access for fans without partnering with cable. The Twins were in the most precarious spot given they were on the final year of a 12-year contract that began with Fox Broadcasting. Although MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the league would cover up to 80% of these contracts, the guaranteed payments from Bally’s are a welcome surprise.

The thought by many was that the Twins would likely go the way of the Padres, which now appear on an MLB produced sports network after skipped payments allowed the team to take complete control. The channel has mostly remained the same for viewers with MLB retaining the broadcast talent and employing most of the same freelance team of camera operators and editors. The main difference for fans was a different channel and a different (and frankly, less annoying) score bug.

This is a good win for the Twins ownership. It ensures the necessary revenue for the team given its current financial state alongside a more aggressive spending appetite this year. The team still hopes to break the two million fan mark this season, which current numbers reflect that as a serious possibility. More so, the Bally’s team has worked hard to make a more meaningful broadcast experience, with more discussion of lesser known stats and the welcome addition of Glen Perkins as a more regular contributor. 

On the other hand, Bally’s remains very inaccessible to local fans. The network was never added to streaming cable packages like Hulu, and stopped appearing on Dish Network and YouTube TV years ago. While MLB has offered local Padres fans in San Diego a local streaming option for $20 a month, Twins games remained blacked out for those without the right cable subscription.

What the team will do next year to change this status quo is unknown. Ownership has mentioned that the team has discussed multiple new bidders to take over the contract, but the changing sports landscape has presented new opportunities beyond another RSN available to few. NBA teams like the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns have decided to partner with local “over the top” broadcasters (such as KMSP and KARE) in order to distribute games for free in the local area and expand the fan base. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has mentioned the problem of reach engineered by the RSNs, though he has spoke more of an expanded streaming network with less blackouts. 

With the Twins’ anxieties solved for this year, let’s hope the team takes an expansive view of what they can send to fans next year.