If you have tried to keep up with the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy situation and feel lost, you’re probably not alone. The Minnesota Twins, along with other major teams including the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild, have been twisting in the wind for years, now.

What’s next for Minnesota Twins and Diamond Sports?

But supposedly, next week, we are supposed to get a final resolution. According to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, a hearing is set for September 3, in Houston. The longtime veteran baseball insider reports that it’s unlikely, though not impossible, that Diamond Sports Group is forced to shut down their Bally Sports regional network, including Bally Sports North.

A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the Houston courtroom of federal bankruptcy judge Christopher Lopez, who will ultimately rule on whether to allow Diamond to implement its new business plan or order the company to shut down.

The latter possibility remains unlikely, especially after Diamond confirmed last week that it has reached agreements with 13 NBA teams and seven NHL teams… in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Phil Miller on the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy situation (Star Tribune)

How Minnesota Twins games are distributed next season remains a mystery. Of course Minnesota isn’t alone in this scenario. Major League Baseball is seeking a positive outcome. Fans have been drug along through this process, and it has been disappointing, to say the least.

Minnesota Twins have to figure out a better plan forward

This offseason, the Minnesota Twins brought Cory Provus into the broadcast booth and had him publicly talk about blackouts ending and streaming options being available. Team President Dave St. Peter put out multiple public statements that now look foolish, in hindsight.

All the promises he and others within the organization made, regarding availability for games in 2024, never happened. Instead, the Twins took whatever money a failing company could salvage, and made fans an afterthought.

Related: Byron Buxton Waiting on Rehab Assignment After Rocco Vetoed DH Idea

Now, St. Peter won’t rule out yet another return to Bally Sports North next season. A move like that would probably mean yet another decrease in rights fees, though. That’s what the NBA and NHL reportedly had to agree to.

According to Sports Business Journal, the NBA teams have agreed to reductions between 30% and 40% of their previous rights fees, and the NHL teams roughly 20%. But Amazon, which earlier this year announced it would pay Diamond $115 million in order to steam games on its Prime app, has withdrawn that offer.”

“If Diamond continues to exist, you can make an argument in some markets that the status quo with Diamond would be good for those clubs. We don’t have a long-term contract with them, so our situation is different. Diamond could be an option under the right circumstances for us, but there are other options, and we are actively exploring those.”

Dave St. Peter on the Diamond Sports situation (via the MN Star Tribune)

Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Wild deserve blame too

According to the Sports Business Journal, NBA teams will get 30%-40% less than last year. NHL teams will see a “roughly” 20% decrease. The Minnesota Twins agreed to take less in rights fees from Bally’s each of the past two seasons. I’d imagine they would have to slash their demands yet again, to re-up.

Of course they didn’t know that Comcast would rip Bally Sports off the air. But they gambled by sticking in an ugly situation, so the ‘poor me’ card doesn’t play well. Of course, the other pro teams in this town (and the leagues they play in) are also to blame.

Related: MLB Expert Believes This is the Minnesota Twins Greatest Asset, Come October

They are keeping a crumbling business operational by taking rights fees they know aren’t market value. Everyone deserves their share of blame. But unlike the Twins, accessing Timberwolves and Wild games has been much easier.

Fan frustration due to the broadcasting certainly has already alienated many. There have to be sweeping changes before the upcoming season. Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. We already know what ownership will choose, if forced to decide between an extra dime, and the happiness of their fans.

Comcast bringing back Minnesota Twins on Bally Sports

Just months into the 2024 Major League Baseball season, Bally Sports North went off the air for Comcast customers. Effective May 1, the regional sports network’s channel was a simple message regarding a dispute between the two companies. Effective August 1st, Bally Sports will be carried by Comcast once again. But, there’s a catch.

Comcast and Diamond Sports Group announced they’ve reached a new carriage deal today. Under the agreement, fans who subscribe to Xfinity’s “Ultimate TV” package can watch MLB games again beginning Thursday. They can also stream on the Bally Sports app using Xfinity credentials.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) July 29, 2024

This was a sticking point in the initial negotiations. Comcast wanted to push Bally Sports to their most expensive tier. Ultimately, Diamond Sports Group was dealing with bankruptcy proceedings and seemingly didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. Despite wasting three months fighting with the cable provider, Diamond Sports Group succumbed to the initial ask.

The Ultimate TV Package boasts 185+ channels and starts at $68.50/month as a standalone product in the Minneapolis market. For comparison, Bally Sports North was previously offered on the Popular TV Package which checks in at nearly $20 less for $50/month.

Related: MLB to Subsidize Minnesota Twins for Lost TV Revenue

What happens to Diamond Sports Group, and Bally Sports as a whole, remains to be seen. The company is still working towards a plan to be a viable operation for 2025 and beyond. The Minnesota Twins may finally be available as a direct-to-consumer streaming option. That was promised this season by Dave St. Peter, but obviously went unmet as the organization chose the most lucrative payday.

At least during this stretch run the Twins will again be available in the vast majority of homes across local markets. Customers can also grab a three-month promotion for the Ultimate TV Package that will give them the upgrade for free. Expect a contract to lock you in however.

Related: MLB Files Court Grievance Against Diamond Sports (Bally) Over Comcast Dispute

MLB Files Grievance Against Diamond Sports

Now dealing with a blackout of Bally Sports on Comcast, Major League Baseball is trying to step up the pressure on Diamond Sports Group. In a court filing on Tuesday, Major League Baseball argued, “This abrupt loss of carriage is profoundly harmful to MLB. Without incoming revenue from Comcast, Diamond faces substantially increased risk of shutting down altogether.”

This line of thinking is beyond sensible, with Diamond and Comcast arguing over dollars, the company dealing with bankruptcy proceedings now has an even greater challenge when it comes to revenue.

It isn’t always typical for the league to get involved with carriage disputes, but Major League Baseball is seeing this latest Diamond Sports + Compast battle impact more than one-third of their league, given the company’s behemoth’s reach as one of the country’s largest cable providers.

While Diamond Sports continues to work through bankruptcy court in an effort to continue operations beyond 2024, Major League Baseball has watched as the owner of Bally Sports now deals with blackout restrictions for 12 teams through Comcast’s cable service. As the side continue to have discussions, the two-week mark has come and gone with the product off the shelf.

Related: Bally Sports Releases Tone Deaf Statement on Contract Battle with Comcast

Court dates on May 22 and June 18 loom large in terms of objections and confirmation hearings, but Major League Baseball is beyond skeptical how the sides can continue to go forward like this.

Minnesota Twins Blackout From Diamond Sports Crushing

Diamond Sports contract with Comcast came to an end on April 30, meaning the Minnesota Twins last 12 games have not been televised by the mammoth cable provider. In that stretch Rocco Baldelli and his team have been among the best teams in baseball. The culmination of a 12-game winning streak was not widely distributed, and Minnesota’s six consecutive series wins hasn’t been shown either.

3️⃣ STRAIGHT DAYS FOR SLAMTANA! pic.twitter.com/U2AjBDnai8

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 12, 2024

Fans have been left searching for avenues to consume Major League Baseball’s product, and rather than Diamond Sports working with Comcast for a quicker resolution, there have been multiple advertisements taken out on social media to increase finger pointing. Of course the league is losing revenue, as are each of the individual teams, but discounting the dollars doesn’t overshadow just how bad fans have it thanks to the imposed blackout.

Related: New MLB + Roku Deal Gives Bally-less Twins Fans Some Free Games to Watch

The hope would be that Diamond Sports and Comcast can come to some sort of new agreement that changes the current situation for the time being, but with each side stuck in, it appears Major League Baseball will be left frustrated by their current state of affairs.

Sometime during that process, however, Bally Sports and Comcast failed to find common ground on a contract extension. That, along with untimely budgetary decisions by the Twins in the months prior, has left tens of thousands of fans without Twins games on their TV for the foreseeable future.

Related: Where can Comcast customers go to stream the Minnesota Twins?

But the MLB finally did something right on Monday when they announced a multi-year partnership with Roku that grants exclusive rights for ‘Sunday Leadoff’ games. This new deal with will replace the expiring deal they had in place with Peacock. Unlike the add-on package you had to pay for with Peacock, however, Roku brings all of the action for free.

Minnesota Twins on Roku for select Sunday nights

While the current debacle that is Bally Sports, Comcast, and the Minnesota Twins pours on, with vast amounts of the fanbase unable to watch one of the hottest teams in all of baseball, at least this Roku deal is good news.

Anyone can download the app on just about any smart TV or streaming device and the Roku app has all sorts of free streaming options. Sunday Leadoff is just the latest.

Roku is now your home for the Sunday Leadoff! Starting May 19:

⚾ 18 free games on @TheRokuChannel
⚾ @MLB Zone featuring live games, highlights, and more
⚾ MLB channel in the Live TV Channel Guide pic.twitter.com/LJ7bMNK87X

— Roku (@Roku) May 13, 2024

Of course Roku isn’t specifically concerned about the Twins themselves, but it is notable that the Twins are only one of a few teams (Arizona, Cincinnati) who have three Sunday night features in this new deal.

With Sunday Leadoff Live games heading to Roku starting this Sunday, May 19, the Twins will first appear on June 2nd against the Houston Astros, followed by a July 21st game with the Milwaukee Brewers, and finally a September 15th matchup with the Cincinnati Reds.

Related: Bally Sports Releases Tone Deaf Statement on Contract Battle with Comcast

It remains to be seen how long the current dispute between Bally and Comcast will wage on, but there’s no clear indication that it will end anytime soon. Also interesting: Peacock, which previously held rights to MLB’s Sunday night games, is a Comcast product. You can’t help but wonder if these contract disputes aren’t somehow connected.

Roku does Minnesota Twins games for free

Although the problems between Bally Sports, Comcast, and the Minnesota Twins all revolve around money, the dollars with Roku are being dealt with through Major League Baseball. This new offering comes entirely free to the consumer. Roku devices are not only extremely prevalent already, but even without one, you simply need to download The Roku Channel app and search for “MLB Leadoff.”

The game’s will also be available live via the Roku mobile app, and a replay will be available if you miss the game live. MLB.tv users will still be able to watch any action on Sunday Leadoff Games as there are no blackouts incorporated between the services.

This is a big win for baseball fans looking for enhanced streaming options to catch their favorite teams, and with the Twins actively looking to shut out their viewers, a new door has opened even if it’s just for a three game period.

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.

New Minnesota Twins TV Deal with Bally Sports North official

Judge Chris Lopez says he "happily approves" the Guardians, Rangers, Twins agreements to stay with Diamond and Bally for 2024. "A huge step forward," Lopez says. Now it's official.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 9, 2024

Unfortunately for cord-cutting Twins fans, streaming rights are expected to remain the exact same as they were last season, which we touched on in more detail last week, when news of this agreed-upon contract first came to light.

Related: Derek Falvey Says Twins are Still Working on More Potential Moves

In summary, unless you have the regional sports network as part of your cable, satellite or catch-all streaming provider (like Fubo TV), you will not be able to stream Twins games this summer, if you live within the local broadcast market.

Twins, Diamond request financial documents be sealed from public

As unfortunate as the bad streaming news is, it’s not new. What was new this morning, and what certainly caught the attention of Evan Drellech (The Athletic) was an unusual request made in the courtroom via one of Diamond Sports Group’s attorneys, who asked the judge to make sure that all financial information or any documents containing terms of the new agreements be sealed from the public.

Diamond’s attorney claims that the financial information contained in those records is “highly confidential” and that “the teams would not like [the terms of the agreements] in the public forum”.

I will translate: "Please don't tell fans or the media how much we are paying the teams."

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 9, 2024

As of now, it has not been made clear whether or not the judge accepted Diamond Sports Group’s request to seal the terms of this new agreement, or if he’s expected to.

Pohlads don’t want you to know how cheap they are being

It is very interesting, though. I’ve written recently about reports that the Minnesota Twins do not plan to increase the shrunken player payroll budget, which they announced at the beginning of the season, no matter how much of the lost TV revenue (~$65 million) they recovered in this new Bally Sports North contract.

Related: Will Carlos Santana Play 1st Base or DH for Minnesota Twins?

Thus, it would make sense that the Pohlads do not want us to know how much of their TV revenue they were actually able to save. Team presidents Dave St. Peter and Derek Falvey have talked incessantly the last few months about how much TV revenue uncertainty negatively impacted their ability to spend and make moves this offseason.

But of course, now that there is no more TV uncertainty, and even if they recouped most of that money back, they still aren’t going to bump payroll back near where it was in 2023. So it makes sense they wouldn’t want us to know how much TV money they are putting into their billfold this season, instead of back into the roster.

If were doing shady baseball owner things, I wouldn’t want anyone to know the details surrounding my inexplicable actions either.

Related: How to Stream Minnesota Wild and Timberwolves Games if Bally Sports App Stops Working

Future Minnesota Timberwolves and Wild streams moving to Amazon Prime Video

As part of the Diamond Sports Group (parent company of Bally Sports) bankruptcy agreement that was made public this morning, Amazon is buying a minority stake in the flailing regional sports broadcasting network. In return, Amazon obtains streaming rights to all NBA, MLB and NHL games broadcast by Bally Sports regional sports networks.

Under the terms of the RSA, Amazon also has committed to make a minority investment in Diamond and enter into a commercial arrangement to provide access to Diamond’s services via Prime Video. Under this arrangement, Prime Video will become Diamond’s primary partner through which customers will be able to purchase direct-to-consumer (DTC) access to stream local Diamond channels. Customers will be able to access all local DTC content, including live MLB, NBA and NHL games, and pre- and post-game programming, for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights, through Prime Video Channels.

BusinessWire.com

No information has been released yet on when Bally Sports streams will move to Amazon’s streaming platform. When the move happens, though, we know that Timberwolves and Wild streams will be included, just like all of the other NBA and NHL teams whose TV/streaming rights are owned by Bally Sports.

Minnesota Twins not included in Diamond Sports + Amazon deal

Last week, it was reported that Diamond Sports’ negotiations with the Minnesota Twins, along with two other MLB teams, were dragging on and holding up bankruptcy proceedings.

Read More: MLB, Bally Sports Delay Bankruptcy Hearing Over Twins, Others

But according to Michael Rand (Star Tribune), whenever that move is made, the Twins will not be a part of it because their TV/streaming rights were not included as part of this bankruptcy agreement, leaving their broadcasting future (yet again) up in the air.

“From my information, the Twins are not one of the five [MLB] teams [included in the Diamond Sports + Amazon streaming agreement] and, in fact, the Twins are still one of those teams very much in limbo right now. They don’t have a TV contract yet for 2024, their contract with Diamond [Sports] expired at the end of the 2023 season and they’ve been trying to negotiate — along with a bunch of these other Diamond Sports teams — a deal for 2024 and potentially beyond.”

Michael Rand – Daily Delivery Podcast

Rand goes on to say that it could very well be another month or even longer before we know how we are going to be able to watch the Twins play baseball in 2024. Which, for those keeping track of the MLB calendar, is supposed to be in March.

So we thought there might be some clarity on [the Twins’ TV/streaming future] this week. That does not seem like it’s gonna happen. We might be into mid February or even later before we know exactly how the twins are gonna be shown on TV and streamed this year. so that piece of it adds wrinkle of upheaval to all of this”

Michael Rand – Daily Delivery Podcast

I have reached out to Diamond Sports and the Twins to get more clarity on their exclusion from this deal. I will update this article when I hear back or different media outlet reports anything further.

Related: Minnesota Twins Could Receive Financial Lifeline Soon via New TV Deal

But that could change soon. According to Evan Drellich (The Athletic), a bankruptcy hearing that was supposed to bring clarity to which MLB teams Bally Sports would be televising on their regional networks for the 2024 season has been pushed back 10 days, from Wednesday, Jan. 10 to Friday, Jan. 29.

A bankruptcy hearing Wednesday afternoon that could have brought some clarity around which MLB teams will be seen on Bally regional sports networks this season has been pushed back 10 days, according to a court filing Tuesday night.

Evan Drellich – The Athletic

Minnesota Twins, Guardians and Rangers holding up negotiations

Why? Because the MLB and Diamond Sports have been making progress through mediators and believe they can get a 2024 TV/streaming deal agreed to that would keep them out of the courtroom. Apparently, the TV and streaming rights for the Twins, Rangers and Guardians have become a major hold up in negotiations.

The delay appears a signal that the sides believe they have a chance to reach a deal on their own, if allowed extra time.” … “The talks have focused on three teams, per testimony in court. Two are the World Series champion Rangers and the Guardians, teams that Diamond intends to continue broadcasting in 2024 only on revised terms.”

The third team, people briefed on the proceedings said, is a club that Diamond previously broadcast, but technically does not have the rights to at the moment: the Twins. The Twins’ deal with Diamond expired following last season, but a new and revised arrangement has been under negotiation.

Evan Drellich – The Athletic

Dealings with Amazon affecting negotiations between MLB and Diamond Sports

But the streaming side of negotiations bring more teams into the fold. Bally Sports only owns the rights to five of the 11 teams that they currently hold TV rights to. With the Twins, they have neither. In 2024, streaming rights are very valuable, especially when Amazon is involved as a possible MLB streaming partner.

Related: Future of Minnesota Twins Infield Looks Bright

Obviously, Diamond Sports wants the streaming rights for all of the teams they hold TV rights for. Problem is, Major League Baseball does not want to sell them those rights, as part of any deal. They are trying to cut out the middle man (Bally’s) and work their streaming partnership with Amazon directly.

Amazon has shown interest in investing in Diamond, but Diamond holds only five MLB teams’ digital streaming rights: the Brewers’, Marlins’, Rays’, Royals’ and Tigers’. MLB and Diamond have long been at odds over the value of various MLB teams’ digital rights, and MLB would rather deal directly with Amazon than give Diamond increased digital rights in the long term, people briefed on the talks said.

Evan Drellich – The Athletic

It will be very interesting to see how all of this plays out. The MLB seems to have the upper-hand for now, with Diamond Sports Group backed into a bankruptcy corner.

To put fans at ease, it’s been widely reported that, no matter who gets streaming rights for the Minnesota Twins, it will be a lot easier to watch games this season and that blackouts will no longer exist. We’ll keep you updated.

Bally Sports North on Amazon Prime?

Diamond Sports Group, which carries the games of more than 40 major sports teams across the country and filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, is actively negotiating with Amazon about a strategic investment and a multiyear streaming partnership, according to people familiar with the matter.

If an agreement is reached, Amazon’s Prime Video platform would eventually become the streaming home for Diamond’s games.

Wall Street Journal

This is a major development in the Diamond Sports and Bally Sports regional TV broadcasting saga. And really, it’s the first piece of tangibly positive news that’s come out of the FOX Sports North/Bally Sports North media companies in years.

Smart move by Diamond Sports, MLB

Even if Amazon doesn’t end up acquiring the streaming rights for Bally Sports broadcasts, I like their business plan to seek out and partner with a legacy streaming service, like Prime Video. If negotiations with Amazon fall apart, Bally and the MLB will have plenty of other interested parties.

Do you think Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+ and other brand-name streaming providers aren’t standing by impatiently hoping to get in on similar negotiations? These massive streaming providers need ways to bring in and retain more subscribers than their competitors and they see sports coverage as another way to do that.

You can bet that every Minnesota sports fan in the country is going to have Amazon Prime as one of their streaming options, should that become the home of Bally Sports North and the only place that cord-cutting fans can watch the Wolves, Wild and Twins play.

Related: Jump on the Timberwolves Bandwagon Now or Live with Regret Later

And clearly, there’s some quiet confidence floating about the Diamond Sports office recently, given they’ve quietly extended their contracts with the NBA and are nearing a new deal with the NHL. Not only that but they’ve also signed extensions with Comcast and DirecTV too.

In recent weeks, Diamond has extended its contracts with the NBA, Comcast and DirecTV. An extension with the NHL is expected in the near term, some of the people said.

Wall Street Journal

Minnesota Sports fans watching closely

If the above report is true, and we have no reason to doubt the reporting out of the Wall Street Journal, in this case, it appears Bally Sports North isn’t leaving the Minnesota sports market anytime soon.

The Twins’ contract with Diamond Sports has ended but if they’re sticking around for the Wild and Wolves then you can bet both they and the Twins will be interested in letting bygones be bygones in order to renew their broadcasting relationship going forward.

Having Bally Sports North available to them makes everything about broadcasting game day on TV a breeze for the Minnesota Twins. Without them, the Twins and MLB would have to handle EVERYTHING themselves. Either that, or find a brand new company to do the exact thing Bally’s already knows how to do.

Related: Twins and Bally Sports North are Done; Wolves and Wild are Next

And just in case you aren’t aware, there are a lot of people, time, money and other resources that go into a good, professionally done television sports broadcast. Something neither the MLB nor the Twins really want to deal with, if they can avoid it.

So if Bally Sports can find a streaming partner and rights contract that creditors, investors and bankruptcy courts are all satisfied with, we’ll be able to find future Wolves, Wild and Twins games on Amazon Prime or a different well-known streaming service.

While there’s no way to know what the future holds, when it comes to watching our favorite sports teams, we know you can stream all Bally Sports North programming with Fubo TV right now.