By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, was there a decision with the Twins on Bally Sports? Will they keep the games or will Major League Baseball do them? — Sonny, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Sonny, Diamond Sports, which declared bankruptcy in March, has until today (July 1) to make its regular quarterly payment to both the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians. If they don’t make the payments, it’s likely the company, which runs the 18 Bally Sports regional sports networks, will seek to end their broadcasting agreements with one or both teams.
Updated on July 2, 5 a.m. ET: Report says Diamond Sports has made its payment to the Twins.
As of this writing (9;30 a.m. ET on July 1), Diamond Sports has not filed a motion in bankruptcy court to reject either of the two agreements. That could certainly happen later today, but as of now, the regional broadcast rights for both teams are still with Diamond Sports. If the company decided to seek a termination of either team’s contract, Major League Baseball would step in and do the games, as it did for the San Diego Padres after Diamond rejected that contract on May 30.
The RSN firm has a payment scheduled to the Cincinnati Reds on July 15, and there is nothing new to report with that situation, either. However, it’s getting difficult to see a scenario where Diamond Sports decides to jettison the Reds considering the team is arguably the most exciting in baseball now.
In related news, Diamond Sports, which has filed a motion in bankruptcy court to drop its contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, this week filed a new motion to postpone a June 30 hearing on that request until July 17. The company issued a statement that said it’s in “positive” discussions with the Diamondbacks to find a “solution.” That suggests that the company may keep the Diamondbacks after all.
The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything significant changes.
Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
