The Diamond Sports-MLB Crisis: MLB TV to Take Over Broadcasts For Guardians, Twins & Brewers

Major League Baseball announced today that MLB TV will take over the regional broadcasts of the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins, effective next season.

The announcement comes after the three teams lost their carriage agreements with Diamond Sports which is struggling to reorganize after filing for bankruptcy in March 2023. Diamond Sports is the owner and operator of the Bally Sports regional sports networks.

The three teams will be available in market on MLB TV without local blackouts at a price to be determined later. (Their games will also be available out of market on MLB TV as part of the streaming service’s national plan.) MLB TV will now carry at least six teams in market after they lost their RSN deals. The league provided the 2024 regional broadcasts of the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Padres.

In addition to the MLB TV 0ption, the league said it will also pursue carriage deals for the three new teams with cable, satellite, and streaming services, as it did for the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Padres.

MLB also announced today that the Texas Rangers, which had also been on a Bally Sports regional sports network, will explore local TV options such as free TV over an antenna rather than renew its deal with Diamond Sports.

“With the media landscape continuing to evolve, Major League Baseball is committed to serving our fans by ensuring they can see their favorite Clubs, removing blackouts where we can, and ultimately growing the reach of our games,” Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media, said in a statement today. “We are proud to bring Guardians, Brewers and Twins games to their passionate fan bases with the same high-quality production that we have demonstrated in Arizona, Colorado and San Diego.”

The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation. And if you have questions about the Diamond Sports-MLB crisis, 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.