Minnesota Timberwolves planning major changes to TV broadcasts?

Unfortunately… we do not know what that news is yet. But Wolves beat reporter Dane Moore tweeted on Tuesday, after news broke of the Twins’ plans, that he’s hearing “change will be coming in how Wolves games are distributed as well”. He did not offer up any further details, but did note that more information is likely to come out “soon”.

I’ve heard a change will be coming in how Wolves games are distributed as well.

I don’t know all the details, but would assume we get more information on that here soon. https://t.co/nA5A3hErTZ

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 8, 2024

Does this mean the Minnesota Timberwolves are getting ready to ditch Bally Sports North, too? That would be a bit surprising, since the Wolves and Minnesota Wild both re-upped with Diamond Sports Group in recent months, for at least one more year with BSN.

One would assume that means any changes would have to wait until next season (2025-26). That may not be the case, however. Remember, DSG is in the middle of bankruptcy hearings that will decide the company’s future. At any point, the bankruptcy judge can essentially rip up any agreement he wants. We’ve already seen him do it.

Timberwolves are probably leaving BSN… but when?

Which leads us where we are now, after Dane’s tweet. Stuck in limbo. Because Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy is so fluid, this announcement could be anything. More than likely, the news will be related to leaving Bally Sports North, in one form or fashion.

That is just speculation, on my part. But why else would they leak this announcement, given the timing, if it had nothing to do with ditching BSN? If we assume this announcement does have something to do with the Minnesota Timberwolves leaving Bally, the next questions would surround, ‘when’?

Related: Timberwolves Insist KAT Trade Only Had a Little To Do With Money

To that, nothing would shock me. It could be effective immediately, just like it wouldn’t surprise me if they are waiting until next year. Whether now or in the future, every local team using BSN as their TV partner should be trying to rid itself of that disease of a company.

Of course, that also means waving goodbye to $10s of millions in revenue every year, too. As soon as we know more about this pending Minnesota Timberwolves + TV distribution announcement, you will too.

Minnesota Twins split with Bally Sports North (Diamond Sports Group)

MLB’s decision comes after the Diamond Sports Group, which operated Bally Sports North, no longer wanted to broadcast Twins games. As it goes through bankruptcy restructuring, Bally Sports (DSG) cut ties with the Twins, Cleveland Guardians and nine other MLB teams, following the end of the regular season.

Related: Top MLB free agents 2025

• Minnesota Twins TV reach 2024: 1.08 million homes

The Twins will join the Guardians, Rangers and Brewers, among teams whose games are produced and distributed by MLB. It adds to the growing number of teams that Major League Baseball has picked up broadcasting rights for. in the wake of Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy filing, from March 2023.

In the league’s official press release on MLB.com, Deputy Commission of Business and Media. Noah Garden. explained the decision. Here’s why Major League Baseball is taking on the responsibilities of broadcasting more teams’ games next season.

“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,. 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.”

MLB’s Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media, Noah Garden, on broadcasting Minnesota Twins games in 2025

Also Read: Latest Injury Update on Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones

MLB did the same with the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies this past season after they cut ties with the Diamond Sports Group. Beginning in 2025, 11 MLB teams will have been dropped by DSG.

What to know about MLB broadcasting Twins games in 2025

MLB taking over the Twins’ broadcasting right immediately means there will be no blackout restrictions in 2025. Under DSG, Twins games were taken off Comcast before the 2024 season and local access to games was limited by home television territory blackout restrictions.

Starting in 2025: TwinsTV! 📺

Available via cable, satellite, and streaming in-market.

More info: https://t.co/R3oQK86J6F pic.twitter.com/QVnxUxLCFW

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 8, 2024

Also Read: Best baseball players ever

Moving forward, there will be no blackout restrictions on Twins games. Fans can watch them via streaming devices, satellite and cable, even if you are in-market. Cost for service is expected to be the same as 2024, for teams who ditched standard RSN and rolled-out MLB.TV. The cost per month was $19.99. Those who paid for the season, up front, forked over $99.99 one-time.

As MLB did last season with the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies, Twins broadcasts will now include features like Ump Cam. They’ll also have live look-ins to the MLB Replay Operations Center. Wire Cam will be a thing, along with a new right-field camera. Fans can also expect more in-game interviews with players.

“In addition to expanding reach, Major League Baseball is utilizing resources to provide fans with an outstanding production that features new technology, improved picture quality and better access to the game and players.”

MLB Executive VP of Local Media Billy Chambers on the new features coming for local broadcasts

TV personalities expected to remain the same

Twins broadcasters Cory Provus and a combination of Justin Morneau, Glen Perkins and others are expected to return for the 2025 season, with MLB covering the costs of broadcasting games. The biggest difference is that they will no longer be wearing or touting anything Bally Sports.

Broadcasts will be produced through MLB.tv, with subscribers able to add the Twins’ package regardless of their location. It will be called Twins.TV — This is an immediate win for fans, as it will significantly increase the level of access to every Twins game in 2025. The team and league office will work out deals with TV providers ahead of next season.

• Minnesota Twins payroll 2024 (FanGraphs): $130 million

However, this will have further consequences for the Twins revenue as it did for the Padres, Diamondbacks and Rockies this past season. Minnesota slashed its payroll by nearly $30 million this past season due to lost revenue because DSG reduced what it paid the team.

But on Wednesday, attorneys of BSN’s parent company Diamond Sports Group made it clear to a bankruptcy judge that the company would prefer not to broadcast Twins games in 2025. In fact, they feel the same way about 10 of the other 11 teams they held TV rights for in 2024.

Diamond Sports Group (Bally) doesn’t want the Minnesota Twins anymore

According to Evan Drellich (The Athletic), the only team DSG wants to retain going forward is the Atlanta Braves. Diamond Sports’ lawyers seemed to offer some sort of safety net for the Minnesota Twins, along with any other previous partner desperate enough to take them up on what must be a pretty underwhelming package.

Evan notes that if the Twins or any of these other 10 teams want to re-up with DSG, they’ll have to renegotiate new deals. But The Athletic’s lead insider on this story makes it clear at the bottom of his two-tweet thread: “Diamond only wants Atlanta”.

Diamond carried 12 MLB teams in 2024. Three — Cleveland, Texas and Minnesota — were on 1-year deals.

But 9 other teams were under contract for 2025: Anaheim, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Tampa Bay.

Diamond only wants Atlanta.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 2, 2024

It’s yet to be seen what this means for the Twins, and their plans for 2024. The last we heard, it felt like a reunion with Bally Sports North was the most likely outcome. After this report, that no longer appears to be the case. Without knowing how much this new offer is for, it’s impossible to project where this leads.

Other options for Twins on TV next season

We know the Twins have had conversations with local TV stations, about a possible agreement. We haven’t seen the Twins play on a legacy TV network — like ABC (KSTP Ch. 5), CBS (WCCO Ch. 4) or FOX (KMSP Ch. 9) — or any of their sister channels since 2010, when they last had a split season contract with what is now My29 (WFTC).

Local TV hasn’t had exclusive rights to an entire Twins season since 1982, when they played an entire season on FOX9. The other very likely option is the Minnesota Twins and MLB launching their own channel, powered by MLB.TV.

You’d be able to stream directly through that service, but the channel would more than likely be a part of a separate package or channel with most TV providers. That option would be great for fans, but the Twins do not feel it would be good for their pocketbooks.

Related: Minnesota Twins Retaining Rocco Baldelli’s Right-Hand Man

No matter where Minnesota Twins games end up, it’s expected that Corey Provus, Audra Martin, Justin Morneau and the other from Bally Sports North will be re-hired by whoever picks up their games, should the organization decide to give up on Diamond Sports Group.

As of now, it doesn’t appear this latest day in court will affect what Diamond Sports Group has going with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Wild, who recently re-upped with Bally Sports North recently.

Bally Sports North re-ups as TV home to the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Timberwolves

Instead of closing up shop, DSG has reportedly inked a new deal with the NBA and NHL. According to reports, it will make Bally Sports North the television home of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild, for at least one more season. Technically, the new contract still has to be approved by a judge.

Diamond Sports has reached deals with the NBA and NHL, deals it has said for a while it was closing in on. There's a hearing scheduled for Sept. 3 where, presumably, we'll get some sort of overall update on the bankruptcy process.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) August 23, 2024

Not every team under the Bally Sports umbrella will continue forward. The Wolves and Wild remain on BSN, but the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans will not. This new deal doesn’t guarantee Diamond Sports Group’s emergence from bankruptcy, but it certainly doesn’t hurt their chances.

Per this new agreement, even if DSG were to shut down operations in the middle of the winter sports season, Bally Sports network would be contractually obligated to finish out these newly inked contracts with the NBA and NHL. The deal does not have any effect on MLB or the Minnesota Twins.

In a way, Diamond’s new agreements with hockey and basketball throw the spotlight back on MLB, which does not have certainty as to whether Diamond will operate for its 2025 season. MLB declined comment Friday.

Evan Drellich – The Athletic

What does this mean for Minnesota sports fans?

Many local Minnesota sports fans were hoping this wouldn’t happen, especially after reports dropped a couple weeks ago that local television stations were waiting to make bids on TV rights, which may have allowed free over-the-air games for anyone with an antenna.

Related: MN Local TV Stations in Contact with Twins, Wild and Timberwolves

But, at least for now, that will not happen. The Twins will finish out their 2024 regular season on Bally Sports North. Then, in a couple of months, that’s where the Wolves and Wild games will be, as well. Remember, cord cutters can still subscribe to BSN on Fubo TV (7-day free trial).

Unlike with Twins games, fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild will also be able to purchase a stream-only package that will cover both teams this winter, through the Bally Sports app. No additional cable or streaming package will be necessary for those two teams.

On the call that year was legendary local hockey play-by-play artist, Bob Kurtz. His color commentator was Larry Osterman, a former longtime Detroit Tigers announcer. In 1983, Spectrum Sports came to the Twin Cities, on what is now the CW Channel (Ch. 23).

For the next 40+ years, local pro sports (other than the Minnesota Vikings) would be broadcast, at least part time, on a cable or satellite (and eventually streaming) channel, and no longer available over-the-air. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a part-time over-the-air TV schedule from inception (1989), through 2003-04.

WTF is “over-the-air” television?

For the kids, you can google “antenna TV” OR “analog TV” OR “rabbit ears TV”. No subscription needed. Get an antenna, and tune it properly. Boom, free television. And yes, it still exists and works today. Look them up on Amazon.

Anyway, back to present day, and the point of this article. The Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, and other non-major local professional sports teams (Lynx, Loons, etc) are broadcast on Bally Sports North, which is part of a string of local “Bally Sports” regional networks across the country.

Related: Twins Back on Bally Sports; Blackout & Streaming Issues Remain Unfixed… for Now

Their parent company, Diamond Sports Group, is currently going through a very public bankruptcy. In the very near future, it is very possible a judge will decide that DSG’s regional sports TV model is not salvageable. If that happens, Bally Sports North will cease to exist. At that point, broadcast rights for the Twins, Wild and Timberwolves would be up for sale.

Local MN TV Stations are “ready to strike” if Minnesota Twins, Wild and Timberwolves broadcast rights come available

So, what are the other options? You guessed it, a move back to local, over-the-air TV. It’s transition that makes a lot of sense, for all three teams. Local insider Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (who works for KSTP – ABC-CH5) on the Mackey & Judd Show (SKOR North) this week. He reports that multiple local television stations are “ready to strike” if Diamond Sports goes out of business.

“Let’s just say, multiple TV outlets in town have had conversations with all three organizations (Timberwolves, Wild, Twins). If that judge, at some point, declares that Diamond Sports is no longer an entity, that Diamond Sports is no longer a thing, it is going to be a crazy two to three week stretch.

There are going to be a lot of meetings, a lot of phone calls, a lot of people here in town interested in carrying Wild and Wolves games, put it that way. Because, Twins, their season is almost over. We have clarity on what the Twins’ TV situation will look like for the rest of this season.

But, there’s still some open-endedness on, ‘what does the Wild TV situation look like?’; ‘what does the Wolves TV situation look like?’. So, I’m telling you, like we need to wait on on the judge, but let’s just say… there’s been a good amount of conversations. And multiple TV outlets in town are ready to strike, if that judge says, ‘hey Diamond Sports, you’re done, you’re no longer a thing’.”

Darren Wolfson – Mackey & Judd (SKOR North)

Other options for Bally Sports teams

There are many theories as to what each team would do, if TV broadcasting rights were put in their hands. For example, Major League Baseball is already distributing and selling TV rights in certain markets (San Diego, Arizona).

In those markets, fans also have a stream-only option for cord-cutters through MLB.TV. Problem solved, at least for the Twins, right? Not exactly. A lack of revenue and slow build of subscriptions in the San Diego and Arizona markets make a switch to that strategy extremely risky.

Related: MLB Pipeline Ranks the Minnesota Twins How High After Recent Update?!

That’s especially true for a revenue-conscious MLB teams, like the Twins. And we haven’t even touched on the Timberwolves and Wild’s situation, should Diamond Sports Group be forced to cease operation in the regional sports TV space.

As Doogie noted, those latter two teams would probably be the first affected (and fought over), if Diamond Sports shuts down. I’m not going to lie… it would be a lot of fun to have these local teams back on over-the-air TV.

DSG (Diamond Sports Group) does not know if it is going to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy successfully. There are too many variables in play still, they claim. Thus, in the hearing Wednesday, they asked for and received another indefinite extension on their requirement to submit a plausible plan to emerge from bankruptcy.

Diamond has now indefinitely pushed that date back, with [their attorney] saying multiple times the company is aware of a need to be hasty.

“If we conclude that we cannot reorganize the business, which is a possibility, we will similarly pivot quickly,” Hermann said. “That is not our focus today, but that is a possibility and that’s not lost on us.”

The Athletic

Comcast + DSG talks good news for Minnesota Twins fans…?

In other words, we still do not know if Bally Sports North will be a thing in this market, after the baseball season. Seems like a pretty unproductive legal session, right? Well maybe not. Today’s outcome (or lack-there-of) means the Twins will likely remain on BSN for the duration of the 2024 season.

But one of the attorneys of Diamond Sports Group did bring some good news with him into the courtroom today, claiming during the proceedings that DSG is nearing a new deal with Comcast, after their previous deal expired at the end of May and has yet to be renewed.

“We believe that we have made substantial progress on resolving our issues with Comcast, and we have the intention of fully documenting and executing an agreement with Comcast to broadcast our RSNs in the very near term.”

Diamond Sports Group attorney, Brian Hermann (via The Athletic)

What does this mean for Timberwolves, Wild?

Diamond Sports Group told the judge today that they are also in active discussions to re-up on deals with their NHL and NBA teams, which include the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild.

It’s important to remember, however, that DSG owns the streaming rights included in their contracts with DSG. With many of the MLB teams under their umbrella, including the Twins, that is not the case.

Related: Falvey Confirms Minnesota Twins’ Plans at Trade Deadline

So while a new contract between Comcast and Diamond Sports would fix streaming and viewing problems for residential Xfinity customers, it will not solve the larger issue for cord cutters who do not want to subscribe to cable, DirecTV or Fubo.

Sure, there were a lot of fans at our beautiful home ballpark soaking in a classic July summer day in the Twin Cities. But there are plenty of local baseball fans who wanted nothing to do with public interaction today.

Think about all the fans falling in and out of consciousness on their couch today, with the game on TV, as they try to recharge their weekly batteries after a long 4th of July weekend. They wanted to see Christian Vazquez’ 9th inning walk-off bomb too.

TWINS WIN! pic.twitter.com/7frJjo0n9w

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 7, 2024

But unless you subscribe to Charter, DirecTV or Fubo (or maybe a small town cable provide nobody has ever heard of), that isn’t legally possible. The millions of Xfinity (Comcast) subscribers across the state, along with cord cutters who have yet to subscribe to Fubo, are still unable to watch their favorite baseball team. Here is a catch-up on how we got here, just in case you need it.

Hope on the horizon for Minnesota Twins fans who can’t currently watch games on TV…

There may be hope on the horizon, though, according to what Dave St. Peter told Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins for Sunday’s paper. The Twins president seems fairly confident that an upcoming Diamond Sports (Bally) bankruptcy hearing scheduled for July 29-30 could end the regional streaming war that is currently keeping fans from watching games.

If so, in-market games may become available via standalone blackout-free streaming packages for Xfinity subscribers or fans who have cut the cord and are not willing to pay for an all-encompassing streaming platform (like Fubo).

It looks like the blackout will continue throughout July. Another bankruptcy hearing involving Diamond is scheduled for July 29. St. Peter said he is not “terribly optimistic” that a resolution might happen before then.

St. Peter said that hearing “could be an inflection point either with Comcast and/or with maybe freeing up the ability for us to introduce a direct-to-consumer option in the market for the last couple months of the regular season. That’s certainly our hope.”

Chip Scoggins – Star Tribune

As of now, the Minnesota Twins own the streaming rights to their own games… but Bally Sports still has local blackout laws/restrictions in place, which means neither can stream games locally, without an attached cable, satellite or Fubo service.

Why do July’s Diamond Sports (Bally) bankruptcy hearings matter for Minnesota Twins fans?

But the bankruptcy hearings that are scheduled for July 29-30 are expected to decide the future of Diamond Sports. The judge is determined to rule one way or another whether or not the company that owns Bally Sports regional networks will be allowed to try and emerge out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy or if Diamond Sports will instead be forced to shut down operations.

A confirmation hearing is scheduled for July 29-30, at which point a bankruptcy judge could determine whether Diamond, which runs the regional sports networks (RSN) for 38 MLB, NBA and NHL teams under the name Bally Sports, will move forward as a business or shut down entirely. It’s a decision that could expedite drastic changes in a rapidly evolving media landscape and one that will have a major impact on MLB’s strongly held desire to place media rights under a national umbrella.

ESPN

Either way, one side could be forced to grant the other side standalone streaming rights as part of the proceedings. If Diamond Sports wins, the judge could rule that they cannot operate successfully without having streaming rights, thus forcing the MLB to hand or sell them over.

That would mean that Bally Sports North would be able to offer standalone Twins games on the Bally Sports app for $20/month, just like they do Wild and Wolves games.

Related: The Minnesota Twins Had What They Need to be True World Series Contenders

On the other hand, should the judge rule that Diamond Sports must cease business operation, it’s expected that they would lose the local broadcasting rights that cause games in their local market to be blacked out.

If this is the judge’s decision, the MLB would likely take over the broadcasting of games that are currently done by Bally Sports. That would allow in-market fans to purchase a standalone streaming package through MLB.TV, and not be subject to the blackout restrictions that in-market Twins fans are currently.

Either way, it appears some hope is on the horizon. Until then, just get Fubo for a month so you don’t miss what this team is doing right now. Here is one free week, to try it out.

Timberwolves owners starting YES Network for Minnesota sports?

Just a few days ago, it was reported that A-Rod was at the Minneapolis Farmers Market recently, looking into that area as a possible spot for a future arena. Also on Thursday, The Athletic is reporting that those same minority owners are in discussions with RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale about starting up a local TV broadcasting service that would have a very similar business plan to New York’s YES Network, which Cardinale founded.

Lore and Rodriguez also have had conversations with RedBird Capital founder Gerry Cardinale about collaborating on a new regional sports station to carry Timberwolves and Lynx games, in addition to other teams in the area, league sources said. Cardinale has deep connections to the New York Yankees and played a leading role in the formation of the YES Network in New York, which would serve as a model for a potential new venture in the Twin Cities area. 

The Athletic

If the NBA and NHL seasons started today, Wolves and Wild fans using Comcast Xfinity for their TV service would not have those games as part of their package. Obviously, that’s a problem, and it’s a problem that new Minnesota Timberwolves owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are trying to avoid.

Bally Sports North problems now endangering other Minnesota teams

The Minnesota Twins have had issues reaching their audience for a handful of years, thanks to their deal with Bally Sports not including the team’s streaming rights. When everybody started cutting the cord, nobody could watch Twins games.

Then, the situation got worse in recent weeks, when Diamond Sports Group (parent company of Bally Sports’ regional networks) failed to reach an extension with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the industry.

Related: Lore, A-Rod Targeting Farmers Market Location for New Timberwolves Arena

The latter fallout, however, goes beyond baseball. Because Bally Sports hosts multiple sports teams, in most of its markets. We’ve already mentioned that Timberwolves and Wild games are broadcasted by Bally Sports North, but so are local women’s professional teams including the Lynx and MN’s PWHL team.

YES Network (Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network), which launched in 2002, primarily serves as the TV broadcast channel and partner for the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty (WNBA) and New York City FC (MLS). One of its biggest stakeholders is Diamond Sports Group, though RedBird Capital still owns 13% too.

Of course, all of this is only in the planning stages right now, as we all wait for the arbitration process to play out in the ongoing ownership battle between the aforementioned Lore + A-Rod ownership group and longtime majority owner, Glen Taylor.

But for the most part, local sports fans have been able to rely their old-fashioned cable box to continue showing their favorite sports teams. That changed when the contract between Diamond Sports Group (Bally) and Comcast came to an end without the two sides agreeing to terms on a new deal.

Bally Sports playing ‘poor me’ in battle with Comcast

Tone deaf statements have followed, and fans continue to lose. Now, it has become a war of words and Diamond Sports Group’s Bally Sports networks are trying to play poor me in the realm of public opinion.

While Diamond Sports Group goes through bankruptcy proceedings, Bally continues to stay tone deaf when shifting the blame. Comcast, the second-largest cable provider in the country and the choice of many, many Twins fans across the viewing area.

Update for Xfinity customers: We have made best efforts to reach a mutually beneficial distribution deal with Comcast. Their refusal to broadcast games while we continue the conversation is disappointing and above all hurts the fans. Visit https://t.co/lPneXcNsqB to learn more. pic.twitter.com/ZbvWgE75ys

— BallySportsHelp (@ballysportshelp) May 7, 2024

Update for Xfinity customers: We have made best efforts to reach a mutually beneficial distribution deal with Comcast. Their refusal to broadcast games while we continue the conversation is disappointing and above all hurts the fans. Visit http://SaveOurLocalTeams.com to learn more.

For now, that impacts the local Major League Baseball landscape the most, but also keeps Minnesota Lynx and WNBA fans from watching their favorite team too. It has been reported that Comcast was looking to change the package required for Bally availability, and the bankrupt company didn’t want to play nice.

Rather than taking any sort of ownership, each group involved in this nonsense has tried to play ‘poor me’, while passing the buck to another blameworthy party. Last week, it was the Twins trying to shift blame, claiming they have nothing to do with the dispute between Bally’s and Comcast.

Related: Mitch Garver Tells Royce Lewis to Only Run 85% So He Can Stay on Field for Twins

While technically that might be true, the Twins did take ~$40 million from Diamond Sports Group (Bally) to put their product back on a network struggling to stay afloat. Then, they went ahead and slashed payroll by $35 million anyway.

Comcast has been up front in suggesting that they no longer have rights to Bally Sports after the latest attempts for an extension have fallen short. Bally took their ball and went home even though they desperately need the cash flow to keep coming in.

Marketing through manipulation, a Minnesota Twins fan story

In the days since the channel went dark for Comcast customers, all Bally Sports has done is take to social media and point a finger at the company that was paying them. With massive outlays still owed to multiple different franchises, it would stand to reason that Diamond Sports Group can’t afford to cut down on opportunities for cash flow. Rather than understand that fate though, Bally Sports continues to seek a deal in their best interest, despite lacking leverage.

Comcast has remained steadfast in alerting customers that Bally Sports is no longer available among their channel lineup, and they are seeking a resolution that makes sense for them. Any calls to customer support are immediately met with a pre-recorded message noting the situation with Bally Sports.

Curiously enough, Comcast’s own messaging service also a mention that Fubo TV currently has a free-trial offer. I suppose, trying to keep customers (even if only on the internet side of things) does make some sense for a cable company getting slammed with cancellations, following the removal of content.

Greed Kills the Fans

At the end of the day the only people losing in this whole ordeal are the fans. Frustration is at a fever pitch, and Bally Sports knows that as evidenced by their decision to turn off replies on a recent tweet. With large corporations fighting over who is more wrong, fans are left with no indication of a way to make it right.

Xfinity pulled the plug on Bally Sports and the fans are frustrated. We're ready to get you back in the game, take action now.

— Bally Sports (@BallySports) May 8, 2024

Thankfully the Minnesota Timberwolves epic playoff run has since shifted to national stations rather than Bally Sports, but the wake of destruction and despair this dispute is currently leaving on the local sports market is one that could have not been handled more poorly. This is a perfect reflection of the Spiderman meme playing out in front of our eyes.

It's happening. Negotiations between Bally's and Comcast have led to this.

Twins will not be available on Bally's as of now. Cross fingers that the sides can work something out. pic.twitter.com/1bOVdtRULY

— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) May 1, 2024

This isn’t just happening locally, though. Every Bally Sports regional network across the United States shut down at midnight. Nashville Predators fans, for example, had their playoff game shut off at the end of the second period. Let’s just say that their are a lot of unhappy sports fans across the landscape today.

Who’s to blame: Diamond Sports Group (Bally) or Minnesota Twins?

Back to Minnesota, where a lot of Twins fans are arguing Wednesday over who deserves more blame for the Twins games, specifically, no longer being available. Of course, the local-nine aren’t involved in contract negotiations between Diamond Sports Group and Comcast.

But, they did have a chance to cut bait with Bally Sports this offseason. Instead of ditching Bally, though, and hosting their own games via MLB.TV or finding another provider, they went back to Bally Sports North for one more year. Why? Money.

Related: Minnesota Twins Back on Bally Sports; Blackout & Streaming Issues Remain Unfixed

It wasn’t the $60+ million that they received per year in their previous contract with Bally Sports. But it is believed to be around 80% of that. Where as, had they gone out on their own, they would not have been able to guarantee they get that revenue back. So, the Twins chose money over fan happiness. Yes, the Pohlads. Shocking, right?

What TV and streaming providers offer Bally Sports North?

Anyway, onto more productive conversations. Xfinity customers who lost access to the Minnesota Twins today have a couple of options if they still want to watch their team play games on TV: Fubo TV or DirecTV.

Fubo is what I subscribe to and I love it. You can try it out for seven days free HERE. Service is billed month-to-month and you can cancel at any time.

There are no other cable TV providers for Xfinity customers to switch to. That’s because only one cable provider is allowed in each area. If you have Xfinity, then Charter or COX (etc) won’t be available to you.

The only other options for Comcast Xfinity customers, outside of Fubo, is to get a satellite dish on their roof. If you’d prefer DirecTV, but want to avoid the satellite part, they do offer a stream-only option, as well.