By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
TV Answer Man, is there anything new with the TV contract with the Minnesota Twins? Will they be on Bally or a local channel? — Bobby, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bobby, Diamond Sports, the owner of the Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs), today filed motions in bankruptcy court to permit it to offer regional broadcasts of the games of the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers during the 2024 season. The motions must be approved by the bankruptcy court judge presiding over Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy reorganization but that’s likely because the RSN company and MLB have signed off on the new pacts. (Diamond Sports declared bankruptcy in March 2023 and is currently finalizing a reorganization plan which is expected to include an investment from Amazon and some creditors.)
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The legal filings mean that Diamond Sports will broadcast the games of 12 MLB teams during the 2024 season, although it’s unclear how many will be available on the Bally Sports Plus app. Diamond Sports currently has the streaming rights to just five teams: Rays, Royals, Tigers, Marlins and Brewers. The seven teams that currently will only be available on the Bally pay TV channels are the Twins, Guardians, Rangers, Braves, Angels, Reds and Cardinals. (Diamond last year ended its agreements with the Padres and Diamondbacks.)
What’s also unclear is what will happen to Diamond Sports and MLB after the 2024 season. As of now, the regional rights will revert back to the league. However, with Amazon as an investor, it’s possible that Diamond and the league will reunite for 2025 and beyond.
Bobby, hope that helps. 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.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
