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    • Brewers games will be broadcast by Major League Baseball in 2025
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    Brewers games will be broadcast by Major League Baseball in 2025

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    (This story has been updated to add new information.)

    Milwaukee Brewers television broadcasts will be produced and distributed by Major League Baseball next season, marking the end of its relationship with Diamond Sports Group, the team that broadcasts games on Bally Sports Wisconsin.

    MLB indicated in a release that it will also handle broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins next year. That doubles the current portfolio of MLB teams for which it provides broadcasts, in addition to San Diego, Colorado and Arizona. The Texas Rangers have also left Diamond Sports Group, with the future home of their broadcasts still to be announced.

    “From our perspective, the first thing is what’s best for the fans,” Brewers president of operations Rick Schlesinger said Tuesday. “How can we bring our broadcasts to the broadest audience? How can we bring the quality and production value of our broadcast to our audiences? How can we have opportunities to expand what we do with shoulder programming and support programming? How can we take advantage of this of MLB’s technological advancements and expertise? And honestly, just having more ownership, control and input into a very important part of our brand, which is the 145 or so broadcasts we do every year.

    The Brewers had the option to return to Diamond after the end of their contract in 2024, but Diamond is embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings and MLB has long sought to reclaim each team’s streaming rights as a way to offer games that are free there are blackouts in the market. on MLB’s own app.

    It’s all part of the crumbling regional sports network (RSN) model, and Diamond’s bankruptcy has created uncertainty around broadcasts for a number of MLB, NBA and NHL teams.

    More: ‘I embrace expectations’: Mark Attanasio talks playoffs, Chourio, Adames and more

    Here’s what this all means for you.

    How will Brewers broadcasts change in 2024? Will the team get new announcers?

    The broadcasts probably won’t look or sound very different, although the appearance of the on-screen graphics may change.

    The announcers would be largely the same (at least most of them are team employees). Schlesinger said he expected pregame and postgame programming to remain, although the length of those shows and their features remain up in the air.

    The channel location will shift to satellite and cable, moving to a Brewers-specific channel (Schlesinger called it BrewersTV), but there will be no additional charges for fans already watching the games on cable and satellite. Schlesinger said the channel will offer opportunities for additional non-game programming in the future, but there are no immediate plans.

    The games may be available in other places (the Padres games are on Fubo, for example, in addition to cable and satellite), but Brewers fans will have no shortage of ways to watch.

    MLB’s release on the new arrangement boasted a number of innovations that Brewers fans might find new, including ump cameras, live look-ins with the MLB Replay Operations Center and improved access to in-game interviews.

    Will it be cheaper for fans to watch Brewers games?

    Fans will still pay about the same, but MLB’s proprietary technology will likely have fewer issues than what fans often complained about with Bally’s app. Aside from a likely channel change, cable and satellite customers shouldn’t see any difference either, with no extra cost to watch.

    For example, Padres games can be found on the MLB.TV app for those in San Diego. Fans can pay $99 for a year to get just Padres games (called the Padres.TV option), but fans who buy the full package for $200 can also watch Padres games on the market, in addition to all other baseball games they are outside the market.

    For those who get the MLB.TV app every year, it will be essentially the same product without Brewers blackouts.

    Will some games be available over the air on channels that can be viewed without any subscription?

    Schlesinger left the door open that the team could offer some broadcasts on “over-the-air” television, available with a standard signal receiver.

    “I know some teams in other leagues have a few games on air,” he said. “I’m not ruling anything out. This is the first day of an official announcement. … We are exploring many different ways to provide the broadcasts.”

    Again, that’s separate from cable or satellite customers, who won’t see a dramatic change in their ability to watch Brewers games.

    Will the Brewers team payroll be affected if MLB takes over?

    Yes, it is possible, but the degree of impact remains unclear.

    “Whatever the TV revenue is, to me that’s a different issue. Mark (Attanasio, team owner) and Matt (Arnold, Brewers general manager) are going to figure out what the payroll is,” Schlesinger said. ‘They haven’t even finished all those conversations and decisions yet. Payroll will be determined, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions based on TV revenue, (that it) necessarily means anything in terms of payroll. They are part of a bigger picture. ecosystem for the Brewers. We look at everything, all income, all expenses. We run a big business, it’s not just player payroll… we have a lot of revenue streams, besides TV.”

    Within the MLB, Milwaukee won’t be alone in facing the challenge of lower revenues in the short term.

    Baseball already has a revenue-sharing policy, handing out money to clubs through lucrative national contracts that offer game packages to places like ESPN or Apple TV+. Those deals reportedly helped MLB achieve record gross revenue in 2022.

    The Brewers, for what it’s worth, have already reduced payroll in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons from the year before and, oddly enough, won more games each season than the year before.

    Schlesinger acknowledged that the short-term forecasts require the team to take a step back in revenue, but he emphasized the longer-term benefit of bringing the games to a broader audience.

    Is this just for 2025, or will this be the way Brewers air for years to come?

    Schlesinger said he believes this is a long-term strategy, even without a specific contract the Brewers are tied to.

    “We think this is the future of local media in Major League Baseball,” he said.

    What about Milwaukee Bucks games?

    Bucks games are still expected to air on Bally Sports Wisconsin through the 2024-2025 season.

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