Minnesota Twins, Fox 9 and Gray Media Announce 10-game, Free Over-the-air Television Package

Rhea-AI Summary

Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) and the Minnesota Twins have announced a significant broadcasting partnership that will bring Twins baseball back to free, over-the-air television for the first time since 2012. The multi-year agreement includes 10 Tuesday night regular season games per season, which will be broadcast on FOX 9 (KMSP-TV) and across multiple Gray Media stations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa.

The partnership marks the first outer market Twins Territory over-the-air coverage since 1988. Each broadcast will feature an exclusive 40-minute FOX 9 pregame show. Additionally, five Twins contests have been selected for national FOX Saturday Baseball telecasts, bringing the total to 15 regular season games airing locally on FOX 9 in 2025.

The broadcasts will be simulcasts of MLB's Twins.TV production, ensuring widespread accessibility across the region through Gray Media's extensive network of affiliate stations.

Positive

• Expanded market reach through Gray Media's network covering 37% of US television households
• Strategic partnership bringing baseball back to free, over-the-air TV after 13-year gap
• Additional revenue stream through multi-year broadcasting agreement
• Increased accessibility and potential viewership growth across four states

Negative

• to only 10 regular-season Tuesday games, potentially restricting revenue potential
• Sharing broadcast rights might impact existing streaming and cable partnerships

Insights

Media & Broadcasting Financial Analyst

Gray Media's new multi-year partnership with the Minnesota Twins and FOX 9 represents a strategic content acquisition that should positively impact the company's regional advertising revenue streams. The deal brings Twins baseball back to free over-the-air television across 10 Tuesday night games per season, with distribution across 10 Gray Media stations spanning multiple states in the Twins Territory.

The value proposition is clear: live sports content remains one of the few programming categories that still commands real-time viewership and premium advertising rates. Baseball's extended season (April-September) creates a predictable, recurring revenue opportunity across multiple quarters. While financial terms weren't disclosed, this type of regional sports rights typically generates strong advertiser interest, particularly in local markets with established team loyalty.

What makes this deal particularly valuable is its multi-year structure and the expanded geographical footprint across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa. This gives Gray enhanced leverage with regional advertisers seeking to reach the valuable male 25-54 demographic that typically follows baseball, along with family viewers. The Tuesday night programming also fills a traditional weak spot in primetime schedules, potentially improving overall station performance metrics.

For a company with Gray's market capitalization ($474 million), strategic content acquisitions like this help differentiate their stations in increasingly fragmented media markets while building advertising inventory around premium, DVR-proof content. This represents smart capital allocation toward content that can deliver measurable returns across multiple markets simultaneously.

Twins return to over-the-air TV for first time since 2012 with 10 Tuesday games on FOX 9;
10 Gray Media stations ensure first outer market Twins Territory OTA coverage since 1988

ATLANTA, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bringing Minnesota Twins baseball back to free, over-the-air television for the first time since 2012, the Twins, FOX 9 (KMSP-TV) and Gray Media today announced a new, multi-year partnership to broadcast 10 Tuesday night regular season games per season. All 10 simulcasts of Major League Baseball’s Twins.TV production will air live in the Twin Cities on the main FOX 9 channel, beginning with an exclusive 40-minute FOX 9 pregame show. Select Gray Media stations in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, will carry each of the 10 Tuesday games ensuring local over-the-air coverage of Twins baseball across Twins Territory for the first time since 1988.

All locally distributed Twins regular season games will also be available on Twins.TV Presented by Progressive.

“We joined MLB Media and created Twins.TV in 2025 to increase access for all fans, with a big part being the opportunity to return to free, over-the-air television,” said Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad. “To achieve that goal with our partners at FOX 9 – a station that has long been dedicated to local programming and the game of baseball – is wonderful for the Twins and our fans, and we could not be more excited. We’re also thrilled to join with Gray Media to air Twins games in communities across our region. The expanded reach of these games will allow more fans to sample Twins baseball and increase consideration for enjoying more of our games on cable, satellite or via the Twins.TV direct-to-consumer streaming service.”

Marian Davey, General Manager of FOX 9 KMSP-TV, said of the partnership, “FOX 9 is thrilled and honored to bring the Minnesota Twins back to broadcast television. The Twins are more than Minnesota’s baseball team, they are part of who we are as a state. For generations, the Twins and Minnesota families have been making lifetime memories together. Now it’s time to make new ones.”

“Gray appreciates the opportunity to join with the Minnesota Twins and FOX 9 to bring free, over-the-air baseball back to Twins Territory for the first time in decades,” said Sandy Breland, Chief Operating Officer of Gray Media. “We know Twins fans across the outer market Twins Territory will love it.”

Beyond the 10-game Tuesday package, an additional five Twins contests have been selected for national FOX Saturday Baseball telecasts this season, meaning that 15 regular season Twins games will air locally on FOX 9 in 2025.

The full schedule of Minnesota Twins baseball on FOX 9 in 2025:

Day, Date	Opponent	Time (CT)
Tuesday, April 15	New York Mets	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, April 22	Chicago White Sox	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6	Baltimore Orioles	6:40 p.m.
Saturday, May 10	San Francisco Giants	6:15 p.m. (FOX Saturday Baseball)
Saturday, May 17	@ Milwaukee Brewers	6:15 p.m. (FOX Saturday Baseball)
Tuesday, May 20	Cleveland Guardians	6:40 p.m.
Saturday, May 31	@ Seattle Mariners	6:15 p.m. (FOX Saturday Baseball)
Tuesday, June 24	Seattle Mariners	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, July 8	Chicago Cubs	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, July 29	Boston Red Sox	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, August 12	@ New York Yankees	6:05 p.m.
Saturday, August 16	Detroit Tigers	6:15 p.m. (FOX Saturday Baseball)
Tuesday, August 19	Athletics	6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, September 2	Chicago White Sox	6:40 p.m.
Saturday, September 6	@ Kansas City Royals	6:15 p.m. (FOX Saturday Baseball)

The following Gray Media affiliates plan to carry the same 10 Tuesday night Twins games in 2025:

• Rochester, MN – KXLT (FOX), KTTC (NBC and CW)
• Duluth, MN – KDLH (CW), KBJR (NBC)
• Mankato, MN –KEYC (Fox), KMNF (MyNet)
• Fargo, ND – KXJB (CW), KVLY (MeTV)
• Minot/Bismarck, ND – KFYR (Fox)
• Rapid City, SD – KEVN (Fox)
• Sioux Falls, SD – KDLT (Fox)
• Cedar Rapids, IA – KCRG (ABC and CW)
• Davenport, IA – KWQC (Cozi)
• Ottumwa, IA – KYOU (Fox)

About Gray Media:

Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 113 television markets that collectively reach approximately 37 percent of US television households. The portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 99 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station during 2024, as well as the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 44 markets. The company also owns Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Gray’s additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. For more information, please visit www.graymedia.com.

Gray Contact:

Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333

FAQ

How many Minnesota Twins games will air on FOX 9 in 2025?

15 total games will air on FOX 9 in 2025, including 10 Tuesday night regular season games and 5 national FOX Saturday Baseball telecasts.

Which Gray Media (GTN) stations will broadcast Twins games in 2025?

10 Gray Media affiliates across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Iowa will carry the Tuesday night games, including stations in Rochester, Duluth, Mankato, Fargo, Minot/Bismarck, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Ottumwa.

When is the first Minnesota Twins game scheduled on FOX 9 under the new GTN partnership?

The first game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 6:40 p.m. CT against the New York Mets.

What makes this Gray Media (GTN) broadcasting deal historically significant?

This deal marks the return of Twins baseball to free, over-the-air television for the first time since 2012 and the first outer market Twins Territory over-the-air coverage since 1988.