FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Twins feigned excitement Monday about their new television contract, a one-year consolation prize they didn't particularly want.
“We are happy to be back at Bally Sports North. We know they will do a great job in 2024 as they have been the home of Twins baseball for many years.” said the team president. dave st peter he claimed. “At the same time, we know it won't be a perfect outcome for everyone.”
so true. The Twins want a new partner who can sell games on their streaming platform, and nearly committed to that new option last fall. But after a winter of searching for a partnership that makes sense financially, Twins fans will enter the 2024 season without a partnership, with no way to watch games without paying for a wide range of channels they won't watch. It turns out.
They're stuck from the cable bundle days where customers paid one fee per month to receive 100 or more channels, while many or most of their viewers still have access to cable bundles where customers paid one fee per month to receive 100 or more channels (usually at a much lower rate). We are moving into the streaming era of subscription. Access only the channels that interest you. Cable and satellite packages were once hugely profitable for the team and its broadcasters, but for at least another year, the Twins are handcuffed to that fading concept as they try to adapt.
Even the streaming services that carry the Twins' Bally Sports North broadcasts, such as FuboTV and DirecTV Stream, are included in cable-style bundles that cost upwards of $80 a month.
“We are sensitive to the fact that some fans are finding it difficult to attend games and we want to rectify that as soon as possible,” St Peter said. “We're already looking toward 2025. We've had a lot of conversations about the future of Twins TV, and those conversations will continue.”
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The most attractive option for the Twins would be for Major League Baseball to join a joint effort to provide the team with its own streaming platform. But Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of 19 Bally-branded regional sports networks, has been in bankruptcy court for nearly a year trying to stay in business, adding to the uncertainty and whether MLB is considering such a move ahead of this season. I can no longer make products.
Until that changes, the Twins will be forced to sign a new contract for an undisclosed amount to remain with the network for another year, likely far less than the $54 million BSN paid them last year. .
But regardless of whether there is a change in broadcast partner next year, the Twins are concerned that the loss of television revenue will continue for several more years. They cut payroll costs from about $154 million on opening day last year to about $130 million in 2024.
“While the revenue reduction plan is very well documented, we expect it to be only a temporary period of time before it changes,” St. Peter said. “I think of it as building a business. We have desirable content and I believe we can build a very viable business around streaming. The next few years will be volatile. “However, we think there is a strong opportunity there and we look forward to moving into that future.”
Packet catching is noticeable again
The Twins' Hammond Stadium spring headquarters in Fort Myers, Fla., was relatively quiet Monday, with early-arriving players taking their final day off before spring training begins in earnest. Pitchers and catchers must check in by Wednesday and are scheduled to begin team-sponsored workouts Thursday.
A familiar sight has been restored in a prominent location at the Lee Health Sports Complex, about 150 yards from the ballpark.something like a giant metal Kirby Puckettjump to the wall in the middle left and rob Ron Gant He was again suspended from the team's minor league clubhouse for taking an extra-base hit during the 1991 World Series.
The piece was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and was removed for restoration work before the start of camp last year.
That's the most notable change to the Twins' spring facility. The team's new naming rights partner, “Lee Health,” now graces the main scoreboard inside the stadium. “And we did some decorations around the ballpark and added some new services at the concessions,” St. Peter said. “After the pandemic, lockout and hurricane, we are back to full operations and are optimistic that our fans will respond in the same numbers as all before.”
The Twins drew 98,318 fans in 16 Grapefruit League games last spring, averaging 6,145. This was an 18.5% increase over the truncated spring 2022 schedule, but was still 16.8% below the 2018 average fan count of 7,385.
