Twins baseball considers direct-to-consumer streaming as Bally Sports blackout continues
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Marney Gellner made history this week as the first woman broadcaster to call a Twins game — but most fans didn’t get to witness it, nor have they been able to watch a game on television since May.
Bally Sports North’s parent company Diamond Sports Group cut the cord with Comcast when they couldn’t reach a contract deal. Major League Baseball fans who don’t have a ticket to the ballpark are greeted with a dreaded bluish-purple screen when they try to watch their favorite team on Bally, and their other viewing options are limited.
“It's frustrating for people, frustrating for me,” Minnesota Twins President and CEO Dave St. Peter told MPR News Thursday. “Certainly the team accepts our portion of that responsibility.”
St. Peter says while the team has little to do with negotiations between Bally and Comcast, he is aware of “ongoing discussions”.
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“I’m hopeful that that will lead to maybe an agreement that allows more people to watch sooner versus later. But in the interim, it's just another example of the evolving media landscape,” he said. “Our focus is on how do we create incremental accessibility not just in ‘24, but frankly, looking to the future to create an opportunity where any fan anywhere can watch any game.”
Diamond has been in the midst of bankruptcy hearings for more than a year. Just on Thursday, Diamond was able to end a deal with the Dallas Stars a year early over financial losses, according to Bloomberg.
In 2023, Diamond missed quarterly payments to the Twins and other teams; a federal judge ordered Bally Sports North to pay the Twins $54.8 million. St. Peter, who testified before that judge in Houston, said the MLB was also prepared to step in.
Over the offseason, St. Peter says the Twins evaluated their options but went back to Bally for 2024.
“At the time, Diamond successfully negotiated carriage agreements with all of the major players, with one exception — that being Comcast — so they demonstrated an ability to get distribution,” he said. “I think it’s easy to always look back but the reality is, we are where we are, and we’re trying to do what we can behind the scenes to ensure that more fans have access to our games.”
St. Peter projects that in the future, alongside cable and satellite, a direct to consumer option will be available to fans for a monthly or seasonal fee. Other MLB markets have rolled out streaming options including Colorado (Rockies.TV), Arizona (Dbacks.TV) and San Diego (Padres.TV).
“I think that’s a good model for us to follow for the future,” St. Peter said.
Listen to the full interview — including St. Peter’s thoughts on Gellner breaking the broadcaster mold and Joe Mauer’s upcoming Hall of Fame induction — by clicking on the player above.
Comcast did not return MPR News’ request for comment in time for this interview.