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Commissioner: MLB open to taking Twins TV broadcast rights next year

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The Twins know their games will be broadcast on Bally Sports North for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Next year, however, hasn’t been settled.

The Twins’ 12-year contract with Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Bally Sports North, expires at the end of the season. Diamond, which filed for bankruptcy, was ordered in federal court to pay the full $54.8 million rights fee for 2023 or terminate the contract. Diamond made its payments and maintained ties in hopes to reach a new deal with the Twins for future seasons.

Another suitor for the TV rights to Twins games will be Major League Baseball, which assumed Padres broadcasts after Diamond terminated its contract in San Diego. When commissioner Rob Manfred was asked Tuesday if the league would join the bidding, he responded “bidding is a funny word.”

“We will be available for teams that are looking for an alternative to the arrangement they are coming out of, or if they find themselves in a situation where there is not a bidder,” Manfred said.

When the league took over Padres broadcasts, it struck deals to broadcast games on DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, Spectrum, Cox and fuboTV. Through the MLB app, local blackouts were lifted, so fans in the San Diego market could buy a subscription to watch Padres games for $19.99 per month.

Manfred said the number of local Padres subscriptions on the app were “well into the five figures.”

“It’s a pretty stock formula for us,” Manfred said. “What we’ve done in San Diego is whatever we can generate in terms of revenue in the traditional cable bundle, and whatever we can sell in terms of in-market subscriptions, that’s the revenue that would be made available to the club. We think we can provide a viable local media alternative to clubs.”

There are some notable changes from Bally Sports to a league-produced broadcast. Their score bug mimics the one from MLB Network. There is no formal pregame show for away games.

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How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

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How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

An online streaming service has exclusive rights to the big Champions League match – but it’s easy to watch it for free.

Liverpool will be returning to the Champions League on Tuesday night, hoping to get back to winning ways on the opening night of the new campaign, facing old foes AC Milan.

The side, who previously faced Milan in the 2005 and 2007, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, so they will be hoping to get back to winning ways this week.

However, Milan have also had a tumultuous ride so far, with the team currently in 9th after four games, despite a solid 4-0 win over Venezia at the weekend.

It’s shaping up to be a thrilling match, then, with both teams having plenty to prove, and you can watch it for free on Amazon Prime Video.

 

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LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

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LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga has unveiled state-run China Media Group (CMG) as its official broadcast partner in the country.

Through a deal announced today, CMG returns as a Chinese broadcaster of the 20-team Spanish league.

The tie-up has come with the 2024-25 campaign already four matchdays in and follows a memorandum of understanding between the two parties in late July.

Last season (2023-24), LaLiga action was shown in China by the Migu streaming service, while rights for 2024-25 have also been snapped up by the iQiyi digital broadcaster.

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has said: “China remains a key market for LaLiga, and we are thrilled to bring our league’s unique passion and excitement to Chinese fans through one of the most influential media platforms in the country.”

Over the last few weeks, LaLiga has been scrambling to add more partners to its stable of broadcasters for this season.

Earlier this month, a significant deal across numerous African markets was unveiled with SportyTV, while mid-August saw BeIN Sports extend its exclusive rights deals across the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

Domestically, DAZN and Movistar are the main rights-holders through deals running between 2022 and 2027.

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Belgium’s Pro League Launches Five-Season Domestic Rights Tender

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Belgium’s Pro League Launches Five-Season Domestic Rights Tender

Belgian soccer’s top-tier Pro League has gone to market with a domestic media rights tender for the five seasons between 2025 and 2030.

The tender was launched recently (September 9), and the Pro League is being strategically supported by the heavyweight IMG agency – through a deal unveiled last October – during the process.

The deadline for prospective rights-holders to submit bids is October 16, with a Pro League general assembly to then evaluate the bids on October 18.

Interested parties can obtain the tender documents by contacting tender2025@proleague.be.

The 16-team Pro League’s domestic and international rights are currently held by global sports streaming service DAZN – which acquired previous rights-holder Eleven Sports in 2023 – in a five-year deal running through the 2024-25 season. Eleven tapped sports agency Mediapro to distribute international rights in partnership with the league.

In total, eight rights packages are available for purchase – three specifically for the Pro League (others cover the second-tier Challenger Pro League and various domestic cup competitions).

A new development in this tender is that the packages are platform-neutral, meaning they cover both linear and streaming rights.

In terms of kick-off times for games across the five seasons covered by the tender, meanwhile, the Pro League has said these “remain virtually unchanged.”

IMG, meanwhile, also has a contract in place to collect and commercialize the Pro League’s fastpath data in a five-year agreement with European Leagues running from 2022-23 to 2027-28.

 

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