The Twins strike new TV deal with Bally Sports North: Here's what we know
The Minnesota Twins appear to have found its broadcaster for the 2024 season, with the team sticking with Bally Sports North for at least one more year.
Bally's beleaguered parent company the Diamond Sports Group filed a motion for approval in bankruptcy court that would see it continue as the broadcast partner for the Twins – as well as the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers – for the 2024 MLB season.
The company is emerging from bankruptcy proceedings, having seemingly been rescued by an investment by Amazon, which is still subject to regulatory approval but could eventually pave the way for a new streaming service for NBA, NHL, and potentially MLB games.
So what does the deal mean for Twins fans in 2024? Here's what Bring Me The Sports knows as of Friday afternoon:
- Bally Sports North will carry Minnesota Twins games in the 2024 MLB season, which will be available for cable and streaming TV subscribers whose packages include BSN.
- There will be no "direct-to-consumer" option for Twins games in 2024. Games will not be shown on Bally Sports Plus, nor will a separate option be made available this season for fans who want to stream Twins games and Twins games alone.
- Out-of-market fans who are outside of the blackout areas will still be able to stream Twins games via MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings.
Diamond Sports Group's woes had led some fans to hope it would allow the Twins to launch its own streaming service for fans. It looks as though that hope has been delayed for at least one year.
And despite the deal now pending, the Twins are still expecting to receive less in broadcast income from DSG as a result, with The Athletic reporting that the cut in TV revenue to the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Guardians believed to be in the region of 15% less than last year.
"We are pleased to have reached agreements with the Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers that work for all parties and enable us to continue delivering high-quality, live game broadcasts on Bally Sports to dedicated fans through the 2024 season," a DSG spokesman told Bring Me The Sports.
What about the Wild, Timberwolves and Lynx?
As things stand, Bally Sports North has a deal to broadcast Minnesota Wild, Timberwolves and Lynx games through the end of the 2023/24 seasons for those with streaming TV and cable packages.
The games are also available on Bally Sports Plus, which is Bally's standalone $20-a-month subscription streaming service.
These deals are set to expire at the end of the season. However, according to ESPN as it pertains to the NBA, if Diamond continues to operate in any market beyond the end of this season, teams will have the option to extend its agreement for one more year.
What could eventually change the situation is Amazon's involvement following its investment to save the Diamond Sports Group, which is eventually expected to see a new direct-to-consumer service a la Bally Sports Plus launched, potentially through Amazon Prime.
However, until Diamond's rescue package and Amazon's role has been met with regulatory approval, we don't know more at this stage. The Athletic expects that when the Bally Sports Plus replacement is determined, that the price would "almost certainly increase" from the current $20-a-month.
