All nine MLB teams whose games are broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network are officially departing the parent company Main Street Sports Group, with eight of the nine potentially migrating to MLB Media, SBJ has learned.
The ninth team, the Braves, are expected to launch their own network, perhaps to air on a national streaming platform such as Amazon or Apple or with a template similar to the Rangers Sports Network — which has direct-to-distributor deals with cable and satellite providers, a local over-the-air partner and a streaming outlet in Victory+.
Five of the other eight teams — the Cardinals, Brewers, Royals, Reds and Marlins — will strike deals with local distributors in their respective home markets and, according to sources Monday afternoon, have their games produced by MLB and streamed on the league’s app. Sources said the remaining three teams — the Tigers, Rays and Angels — are leaning toward joining the other five.
The Cardinals and Brewers have already made their transition to MLB Media official.
Meanwhile, sources said NBA and NHL teams are in a business-as-usual holding pattern, with the sense that Main Street still plans to air their games the rest of the regular season and simultaneously attempt to negotiate deals beyond this year. A resolution with those leagues is expected to play out over the next two weeks.
At the same time, sources said those NBA and NHL teams did not receive their recent February rights fee payments on Sunday, and it is unclear whether future payments will be reduced by 20% or more — or even arrive at all. The NBA is likely in negotiations to ensure their teams receive at least a portion of this season’s rights fees, though nothing has been formalized.
Without MLB broadcasts, industry insiders still question the viability of Main Street past April’s NBA and NHL regular seasons –and still expect a wind down of their business by spring, unless there is 11th hour financing. Sources said DAZN, which originally had its sights set on buying Main Street but couldn’t convince MLB teams to stay in the fold with 20% rights fee reductions, is no longer a bidder.
A Main Street spokesperson issued the following statement Monday: “FanDuel Sports Network is continuing to broadcast NBA and NHL games, and we appreciate the leagues’ engagement in ongoing discussions on our go-forward plans. We appreciate the relationships we have had with our MLB partners and fans over many years, and we wish them the best.”
The Braves’ next move is expected to be a prodigious one. The franchise was one of Main Street’s most profitable partners, and its impending launch of its own network –potentially in collaboration with Amazon or Apple — could be precedent setting.
The Braves, in fact, released a statement Monday afternoon saying, “The Atlanta Braves are aware of the reports regarding Main Street Sports Group. While disappointed with this development, we have been actively preparing for this outcome and are well on our way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting.
“Throughout Braves Country and beyond, we have one of the largest and most dedicated fan bases in sports, as well as one of the most expansive television territories, and we are excited about bringing Braves baseball to our fans in new ways. To our fans, we want to assure you that we will be ready for the 2026 season, and all Atlanta Braves games will be broadcast across the entirety of Braves Country. We look forward to sharing our path forward in the coming weeks.”
One other outlier development involves the Red Wings, considering they are owned by the same Tigers ownership group, Ilitch Sports & Entertainment. Sources told SBJ the Ilitch group could conceivably take the Red Wings along with the Tigers to MLB Media, which would provide some production and distribution services for the Red Wings’ linear/digital broadcasts in Detroit.
Either way, because the Tigers and Red Wings are purportedly a package deal, insiders believe the Ilitch group may want to wait for Main Street’s NHL plans to play out before formalizing its move. The two teams could also, down the road, ultimately co-exist together on a branded digital platform created by Ilitch.
Puck’s John Ourand was first to report on plans by six of the nine MLB teams.