Brewers TV and Streaming Broadcasts to be Taken Over by the MLB

Starting with the 2025 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) will take over the local television and streaming broadcasts for the Milwaukee Brewers. Since 2007, the Brewers had a partnership with Bally Sports (formerly Fox Sports Wisconsin).

Bally Sports Wisconsin carried the majority of the Brewers' games over that span, even through the rebranding of Fox Sports Regional Networks to Bally Sports in 2021.

The MLB announced also they will be taking control of broadcasts for the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins, all three of which were part of the regional sports network model used by Diamond Sports Group and Bally Sports.

Recent expense cutting and financial struggles have led to Diamond Sports Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, to cut ties with its cable contracts after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy after a long decline in traditional cable subscriptions and the rise of cord-cutting, a trend where consumers cancel their traditional cable or satellite television subscriptions in favor of alternative, often cheaper, digital streaming services.

The organization faced difficulties meeting financial obligations, including rights payments to several sports leagues, including the MLB.

The bankruptcy process hopes to restructure the company’s existing debt and find ways to  turn the organization around.

As part of the restructuring, Diamond decided to drop several broadcast contracts with their respective MLB teams, leading to Major League Baseball stepping in and taking over local broadcasts for the affected teams, including the Brewers.

Brewers fans will still be able to watch games through traditional cable and satellite providers, but MLB will also offer a direct-to-consumer streaming option. The new streaming option will allow in-market viewers to stream games without blackout restrictions, a practice fans grew frustrated from by previous blackout policies​.

The projected price for the upcoming streaming service will likely be similar to what’s been seen for other teams such as the San Diego Padres, with monthly subscriptions costing around $99.99 for the season.