Major League Baseball (MLB) has made a significant announcement regarding the broadcast of local games for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins for the upcoming season. The decision highlights a strategic move by the MLB to take more control over the production and distribution of games for several teams.
The contracts between the mentioned teams and Diamond Sports Group expired at the conclusion of the regular season. Following this, the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins will have their local games produced and distributed by MLB starting next year. This move comes after the Texas Rangers, whose deal with Diamond also ended recently, declared that they will not be renewing their partnership with the broadcasting group.
With these additions, MLB will now be overseeing the production and distribution of broadcasts for at least six teams as they head into the 2025 season. Notably, MLB had already taken over the broadcasts for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 season and the Colorado Rockies this year.
MLB’s deputy commissioner for business and media, Noah Garden, expressed the league’s commitment to making games more accessible to fans. He stated, “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.”
The move is expected to expand the market reach of the teams involved. For instance, Cleveland games were available in approximately 1.45 million households through its regional sports network, with the potential to increase by 235% to 4.86 million households. Similarly, Minnesota’s reach is projected to increase by 307% from 1.08 million homes to 4.4 million.
MLB’s decision comes amidst ongoing bankruptcy proceedings involving Diamond Sports Group, which may result in MLB taking over more teams in the future. Diamond Sports Group, a major owner of regional sports networks, could potentially be left with only the broadcasting rights for Atlanta Braves games in 2025, based on its reorganization plan presented in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
The regional networks were acquired from The Walt Disney Co. in 2019 by Diamond Sports Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group for nearly $10 billion. However, with the changing dynamics in the sports broadcasting industry, MLB’s move to take control of local broadcasts signifies a shift towards ensuring wider coverage and accessibility for baseball fans across different regions.