Twins aim for new broadcast deal to bring expanded reach, reduce blackouts -

As they chased down their third division title in five seasons, the Twins estimate they reached only 30 percent of their entire viewing audience in 2023. Whether via cord-cutting, blackouts or no viable streaming options for local customers, team sources said the organization’s reach was significantly limited.

Expanding its audience and reducing blackouts are the team’s biggest goals as it seeks new partners for its broadcast rights for the 2024 season and beyond. Though there may be short-term concerns for the Twins and other MLB teams as they navigate the uncertainties of new deals, the long-term hope is the change in distribution should benefit clubs by getting the product in front of more eyes.

According to team sources, Twins territory contains perhaps as many as 4.3 million households, about 3 million more than the team was able to reach in 2023. Following the expiration in October of a 12-year rights deal with Bally Sports North and its bankrupt operator, Diamond Sports Group, the Twins are searching for a new broadcast partner.

Whether or not the Twins can immediately monetize their broadcast rights and equal the $55 million they received from the Bally Sports North TV deal alone last season remains to be seen. The potential loss of revenue is likely to immediately impact the team’s 2024 payroll, which team sources said last week could drop by as much as $29 million.

The #MNTwins are fortunate to already have a lot of young talent at the big league level and pieces in place. It should help make a serious reduction in payroll easier to handle. https://t.co/NSqA4oEjeX

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) November 8, 2023

Yet the team is cautiously optimistic about a new deal, and Twins president Dave St. Peter is hopeful a solution is nearing.

“Our objectives have always been to find ways to maximize the reach of our games and our brand,” St. Peter said. “We feel as though we would be in a strong position to do that hopefully before Opening Day of 2024. We also recognize there’s tremendous disruption in the traditional cable/satellite model. We’re trying to navigate through that disruption. We certainly understand the challenges. But we also over time I think see the opportunities that can come from expanded reach and from making sure anybody, anywhere within our television territory has the ability to watch our games. There are certain options or trade-offs on all of these options. We’re trying to find the right one for the fans, not just for 2024, but for the long term.”

Whether it’s disputes between broadcast partners and local cable providers, or MLB’s archaic blackout rules that prevent broadcasts from reaching fans locally, fans around baseball have been shut out at a higher rate than the sport deems acceptable.

But a new era free of regional sports network deals holds promise. Speaking from the GM meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., last week, agent Scott Boras was optimistic when describing the potential situation in front of MLB teams.

“We are out from under poor RSN contracts,” Boras said. “We have the ability to go out to millions of people that have handhelds that use all the opportunity to take advantage of that broadcast platform … It’s opened up a panacea of revenue avenues for teams.”

The Twins believe out-of-sight, out-of-mind could be one reason they failed to attract 2 million fans at Target Field last season despite spending a record-high $154.8 million on payroll, including the high-profile return of shortstop Carlos Correa.

Generally speaking, teams fare better at the box office the season after a playoff appearance. After winning their first division title since 2020, the Twins should see a natural increase in attendance in 2024.

But during a season in which rule changes brought renewed fan interest around MLB, the uptick in Twins attendance was only about equal to a league-wide 9.6 percent increase, even though the team spent all but five games in first place. The Twins sold 1.97 million tickets in 2023, up from 1.8 million a year earlier.

The Twins believe getting a product — which includes Correa, exciting rookie Royce Lewis and Pablo López, their best pitcher in years — in front of more eyes would lead to more fans in the stands. How they’ll get there is to be determined, though some believe it could happen before the month is out.

Despite the end of the previous contract, a short-term deal with Bally isn’t out of the question for next season. The Twins also could find another broadcast partner or the team could handle the product in-house, as the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks did last season. The goal of any new deal would be to reach new customers via a reliable streaming product while still retaining traditional cable customers, albeit on an alternate channel.

(Photo of Target Field: Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)

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