Bally Sports North inaccessible for Comcast/Xfinity cable consumers

CHICAGO — The ability for Twins fans to watch games on television took a hit late Tuesday night, when an inability by Comcast and Diamond Sports Group to reach an extension regarding broadcast rights led to Bally Sports North being inaccessible for Comcast/Xfinity cable consumers.

“The Twins are disappointed by this massive disruption for our fans who simply want to watch our games,” read a statement from the team. “This situation is a business negotiation between Comcast and [Bally]. The Twins have no role or voice in this matter. We are hopeful the two parties are able to come to an agreement as soon as possible.”

The Twins had agreed to a one-year extension on their broadcasting rights for the 2024 season with Diamond Sports Group, the parent company to Bally Sports, late in the offseason after their existing deal had expired.

“It’s disappointing that Comcast rejected a proposed extension that would have kept our channels on the air and that Comcast indicated that it intends to pull the signals, preventing fans from watching their favorite local teams,” read the statement from Diamond Sports Group.

“Comcast has refused to engage in substantive discussions despite Diamond offering terms similar to those reached with much larger distributors of ours. We are a fans-first company and will continue to seek an agreement with Comcast to restore broadcasts, and at this critical juncture for Diamond, we hope that Comcast will recognize the important and mutually beneficial role Diamond and RSNs play in the media ecosystem. In the meantime, fans in Comcast regions can access our networks through subscriptions to Fubo, DirecTV or DirecTV STREAM or through our direct-to-consumer offering, Bally Sports+ for the teams for which Diamond retains DTC rights.”

Twins programming is not accessible on Bally Sports+, leaving fans with those stated alternatives to find the team on television.

“We have been very flexible with Diamond Sports Group for months as they work through their bankruptcy proceedings, providing them with an extension on the Bally Sports Regional Networks last fall and a unilateral right to extend the term for another year, which they opted to not exercise,” read a statement from a Comcast spokesperson. “We’d like to continue carrying their networks, but they have declined multiple offers and now we no longer have the rights to this programming. We will proactively credit our customers for the costs associated with them – most will automatically receive $8 to 10 per month in credits.”