Are Minnesota sports broadcasts headed to Amazon Prime?

Are MN sports broadcasts headed to Amazon Prime?

Minnesota sports teams have provided plenty of drama on the field, between making big plays in big moments or having seasons end with heartbreaking losses.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota sports teams have provided plenty of drama on the field, between making big plays in big moments or having seasons end with heartbreaking losses.

There’s been a fair amount of drama off the field lately when it comes to how local consumers can take in their favorite sports team. The Vikings are largely absolved of this issue, with games mostly on one of the four major networks, or ESPN. At least one time a year, they’re on Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football, but a local network usually picks up that game as well.

If you’re among those that still have cable, this is a non-issue as you likely have Bally Sports North as part of your package. It also mostly doesn’t apply to those who have DirecTV.

But if you’ve cut the cord and have gone to streaming, it’s gotten a lot more complicated. Only DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV offer Bally, leaving many Timberwolves, Twins and Wild fans out of luck when it comes to watching games. That’s unless you’ve also signed up and pay $20 per month for the Bally Sports app.

Royce Lewis #23 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his home run against the Houston Astros with Max Kepler #26 during the first inning in Game Four of the Division Series at Target Field on October 11, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images))

All those headaches may soon be over, if developments this week are any indication. Diamond Sports, which owns regional networks that carry NHL, MLB and NBA games, is getting an investment from Amazon. The deal has to go through and there are plenty of deals to be ironed out, but what does it mean locally?

Royce Lewis on Twins playoff series win

Rookie Royce Lewis celebrated the Twins getting over a major milestone, helping the team win its first playoff series since 2002.

If you’re a Twins, Wild or Timberwolves fan, you’ll likely want to have Amazon Prime if you don’t already. Most do, as a one-time annual fee gives consumers free shipping for purchases on the website. The membership also gives you access to Prime Video, which features movies and TV series much like Netflix.

Soon, could that include Twins, Timberwolves and Wild games? The Twins currently don’t have a TV partner for the 2024 season, and Spring Training starts in about a month. The Timberwolves are currently the top team in the Western Conference, and are poised to make a playoff run. The Wild are fighting to keep their season alive after a head coaching change, and a slew of injuries.

And if Minnesota sports go to Amazon Prime, will there be an extra fee? We’ll have to wait and see as details get ironed out.