If you were hoping for some clarity on the Twins' TV situation, you're going to have to wait a little longer. A hearing scheduled for Wednesday in bankruptcy court could have given shape to the Twins' TV plans in 2024, but that hearing was delayed by 10 days.
Amazon? Bally Sports? MLB? Minnesota Twins broadcast future remains unclear.
MLB reportedly rejected a proposed partnership between Amazon and Diamond Sports that might have kept teams on Bally Sports channels for multiple years.
January 10, 2024 at 6:51PM
The upshot of the hearing is that it will determine parameters by which the Twins and 11 other teams might be shown on Bally channels in 2024. The other 11 teams are under contract, but Diamond Sports — the parent company — is negotiating revised terms with some teams, which reportedly includes the Twins.
As we wait for a resolution in court, we can read between the lines at two pieces of news this week — the delay in this hearing and a New York Post report about MLB rejecting Diamond's attempt to bring in Amazon as a financial partner with streaming rights — for clues as to how this all might play out, as I talked about on Wednesday's Daily Delivery podcast.
First, let's recap the Post report. The Wall Street Journal reported a few weeks ago that Amazon was negotiating with Diamond on a "strategic investment and a multiyear streaming partnership" that would involve Prime Video.
The Post reported this week that MLB rejected that partnership proposal, offering both specifics on what it would have entailed and adding important context as to why MLB wasn't interested.
The report said it was for roughly $150 million and that MLB said no — per an unnamed source — "because Amazon wanted a streaming deal for more than one year." The source indicated MLB might be interested in its own streaming deal with Amazon in 2025.
The upshot, as I read it: MLB might be interested in continuing its partnership with Diamond/Bally Sports in 2024 if that's the best short-term answer, but it has no interest in extending the relationship beyond that. A multi-year streaming deal involving Diamond and Amazon would have been just that.
That same sentiment could apply to the delay in Wednesday's hearing, which gives the team that extra time to mediate.
With the clock ticking, one more year on Bally Sports for 12 teams — including the Twins, and as long as they are available locally on some streaming platform — might make the most financial sense. It would also align MLB with the NBA and NHL, which are set to be local TV free agents in the 2024-25 season under terms of their recently negotiated deals with Diamond.
Here are four more things to know today:
*I had La Velle E. Neal III on Wednesday's podcast, and we went deep on his opinion that the Vikings should cut the cord with QB Kirk Cousins.
*The Wolves are 9-6 on their grueling stretch of 16 games against tough teams, 11 on the road. And even with the finale against East-leading Boston set for tonight, they have the second-easiest remaining schedule in the NBA the rest of the year.
*Speaking of the Wolves, Anthony Edwards is reportedly going to be one of five NBA players featured on an in-the-works Netflix documentary modeled after the popular "Quarterback" series.
*Thursday's podcast should be heavy on Gophers sports. Maybe I'll even find a way to not talk about Vikings quarterbacks?
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
