The Regional Sports Network Crisis: Diamond Sports to Keep Twins For 2023 Season: Report
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
Diamond Sports has made its regular quarterly payment to the Minnesota Twins, ensuring that the company will continue broadcasting the team’s games on Bally Sports North through the 2023 season, according to an article by the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis.
The payment was scheduled on July 1. Diamond Sports, which declared bankruptcy in March, could have withheld the fees and requested to reject the Twins agreement in bankruptcy court. The company, which owns 18 Bally Sports regional sports networks, cancelled its contract with the San Diego Padres on May 30. Major League Baseball was then forced to step in and broadcast the games.
But the Star-Tribune reports that a “source with knowledge of the network’s plans (says)…Diamond Sports Group made a payment of several million dollars to the team by Saturday’s deadline.”
The newspaper adds that the Diamond Sports-Twins agreement expires after this season, but the RSN company wants to renew the deal.
Diamond Sports also had a payment scheduled yesterday to the Cleveland Guardians but there’s no word yet on whether it was made.
The company, which earlier this month filed a motion in bankruptcy court to drop its contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, last week filed a new motion to postpone a June 30 hearing on that request until July 17. The company issued a statement that said it’s in “positive” discussions with the Diamondbacks to find a “solution.” That suggests that the company may keep the Diamondbacks after all.
The RSN firm has a payment scheduled to the Cincinnati Reds on July 15. However, it’s getting difficult to see a scenario where Diamond Sports decides to jettison the Reds considering the team is arguably the most exciting in baseball now.
The TV Answer Man will continue to monitor this situation and report back here if anything changes. Until then, happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
