Last week, Sports Business Journal reported Main Street Sports Group — which carries the games of 29 NBA, MLB and NHL teams under the name FanDuel Sports Network — missed its January payments to numerous undisclosed NBA teams.
ESPN then said nine MLB teams have terminated their contracts with Main Street Sports Group, following further financial instability from their regional sports network operator.
So, how does all of this impact the Magic?
As the future of FanDuel Sports Network seemingly grows more and more uncertain with each passing week, the Magic have been in constant contact with the media company, as well as the NBA, and contingency planning is on-going.
“Our priority is that Orlando Magic games remain available to fans with no interruption,” Magic chief communications officer Joel Glass said in a statement provided to the Orlando Sentinel.
Main Street Sports has been attempting to sell itself to the London-based DAZN, but Sports Business Journal reported last week that those talks “are all but extinguished, due to teams’ reluctance to meet key conditions.”
One of those reported conditions include the fact that Main Street/DAZN wanted NBA and NHL teams to extend their deals through the 2028-29 season, including digital rights, “something the teams and the leagues appear whole-heartedly against,” according to the Sports Business Journal.
Reports indicate that Main Street still owes the 13 NBA teams about $180 million this season, and Main Street’s attempted sale to DAZN is keeping the teams from receiving that money.
Sports Business Journal reported that if the deal with DAZN falls through, Main Street would continue to broadcast NBA and NHL games for the rest of the current regular season, but team executives are reportedly skeptical the media company will be able to accomplish that due to financials constraints.
The Magic are joined by the Hawks, Hornets, Heat, Cavaliers, Pacers, Pistons, Bucks, Grizzlies, Clippers, Timberwolves, Spurs and Thunder as the 13 NBA teams who play their games on FanDuel Sports Network.
This season, however, various teams, including Orlando, have simulcast some games over-the-air to local broadcast stations.
The Magic are already airing 10 games with WESH2 and CW18 in Orlando, and WMOR-TV in Tampa. Four have already been played, and their next over-the-air game is Jan. 24 vs. Cleveland on WESH.
Beyond broadcasting over-the-air, streaming games on the league’s “NextGen platform,” which is similar to NBA League Pass, is an option as well.
Those options, however, don’t provide the same long-term financial backing compared to its deal with Main Street or if the NBA were to launch a national streaming RSN platform, something the league is hoping to accomplish by the 2027-28 season according to a summer report from Sports Business Journal.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s game in Berlin against the Grizzlies, which was originally an Amazon Prime Network exclusive, was recently added to broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Florida, following last month’s Prime exclusive stream of Orlando’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Knicks in Las Vegas.
Still, the Magic and their NBA counterparts wait in limbo about the future of FanDuel Sports Network.
“We remain in active dialogue with all of our team partners regarding potential revised terms for agreements going forward,” a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson told the Sentinel.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic vs. Grizzlies
When: 2 p.m., Thursday, Uber Arena (Berlin, Germany)
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida/Amazon Prime Video