 | |
| Type | Regional sports network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area |
|
| Network | FanDuel Sports Network |
| Headquarters | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Main Street Sports Group |
| Sister channels | FanDuel Sports Network Florida |
| History | |
| Launched | March 4, 1988 (37 years ago) (1988-03-04) |
| Former names |
|
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability (Some events may air on overflow feed FanDuel Sports Network Extra due to event conflicts) | |
| Streaming media | |
| FanDuel Sports Network app | www (U.S. cable internet subscribers only; requires login from participating providers to stream content; some events may not be available due to league rights restrictions) |
| DirecTV Stream | Internet Protocol television |
| FuboTV | Internet Protocol television |
FanDuel Sports Network Sun is an Americanregional sports network owned byMain Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group) and operated as an affiliate ofFanDuel Sports Network. The channel broadcasts local coverage of professional, collegiate and sporting events in the state ofFlorida, with a focus on professional sports teams based inMiami,Tampa andOrlando. FanDuel Sports Network Sun and sister regional sports networkFanDuel Sports Network Florida are headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with studios located inTampa.[1]
FanDuel Sports Network is available oncable providers throughout Florida; it is also available nationwide onsatellite viaDirecTV.
The channel launched on March 4, 1988, asSunshine Network, originally serving as an affiliate ofPrime Network. The network was formed as a joint-venture of 11 cable companies andHome Sports Entertainment.[2] Later that year, Sunshine would obtain rights to broadcast theOrlando Magic in their inauguralseason.[3] In 1992, the network would also secure rights to another new team, theTampa Bay Lightning. In its early years, the network also aired somepublic affairs programming in addition to sports.[4]
Because Florida did not have aMajor League Baseball team at the time, the network featured games from multiple teams includingRangers,Astros,Tigers,Orioles, andTwins, along with college sports fromUCF,Florida State,Stetson andJacksonville Universities.[5] In 1993, Sunshine gained rights to theFlorida Marlinsexpansion team. In 1997, half of the 70 game schedule was moved to rivalSportsChannel Florida (which at the time was owned by Marlins' ownerWayne Huizenga). The following season, the entire schedule was moved to SportsChannel.[6]
In 1996,News Corporation, which formed asports division for theFox Broadcasting Company in 1994 with the acquisition of the television rights to theNational Football Conference of theNational Football League, entered into ajoint venture withTCI spinoffLiberty Media and rebranded that company's Prime Network affiliates under the "Fox Sports Net" banner.[7] Sunshine Network was the onlyFox Sports Net owned-and-operated charter outlet that did not rebrand under that name when it and the other Prime outlets relaunched as Fox Sports Net on November 1, 1996.[8] Liberty Media (which at this point owned 49% of the network) proposed Fox Sports Sunshine as a new name for the network, but ultimately the rest of the owners did not approve it.[9] In early 2000, Fox Sports Net programming moved from Sunshine to the newly rebrandedFox Sports Net Florida.[10]
Sunshine Network changed its name toSun Sports on January 18, 2005, in order to reflect its sports-focused programming. Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida werespun off with the rest of the Fox Sports Networks and most of News Corporation's other U.S. entertainment properties into21st Century Fox in July 2013. On October 4, 2015, Sun Sports changed its name toFox Sports Sun (FSSUN).[11]
On December 14, 2017, as part of a merger between both companies,The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports Networks from21st Century Fox, including Fox Sports Sun and sister network Fox Sports Florida. However, on June 27, 2018, theJustice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership ofESPN. On May 3, 2019,Sinclair Broadcast Group andEntertainment Studios (through their joint venture,Diamond Holdings) boughtFox Sports Networks fromThe Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion.[12] The deal closed on August 22, 2019.[13] On November 17, 2020, Sinclair announced an agreement with casino operatorBally's Corporation to serve as a newnaming rights partner for the FSN channels. Sinclair announced the new Bally Sports branding for the channels on January 27, 2021.[14] On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the2021 Major League Baseball season, Fox Sports Sun and sister network Fox Sports Florida were rebranded asBally Sports Sun andBally Sports Florida, resulting in 18 other Regional Sports Networks renamed Bally Sports in their respective regions.[15] The first live sports event on Bally Sports Sun was at 7 PM featuring the Miami Heat at theIndiana Pacers. The game was preceded with the "Heat Live" pregame show.[16]
On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed forChapter 11 Bankruptcy.[17]]
On May 1st, 2024, Comcast halted Bally Sports Sun programming.
On October 16, 2024, it was revealed in a court filing that Diamond had reached a new sponsorship agreement withFanDuel Group, under which it intends to rebrand Bally Sports as theFanDuel Sports Network; on October 18, 2024, Diamond officially announced the rebranding, which will take effect October 21.[18][19] Under the agreement, FanDuel will have the option to take a minority equity stake of up to 5% once Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy. The branding will be downplayed within programming related to high school sports.[20][21]
On May 14, 2025, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they would leave FanDuel Sports Network Sun, with theE. W. Scripps Company-ownedWXPX-TV taking over local broadcasts throughScripps Sports.[22]
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FanDuel Sports Network Sun holds the regional cable television rights to theNBA'sMiami Heat and theTampa Bay Rays ofMajor League Baseball. In addition, FanDuel Sports Network Sun offers insider programming for theFlorida Gators andFlorida State Seminoles.
FanDuel Sports Network Sun maintains separate feeds for individual regions of the state, with feeds for Miami (coveringSouth Florida), Tampa (covering western Florida) and Orlando (covering northern andcentral Florida). The separation of broadcast zones for the channel is mostly due to the defined broadcast territories set by the National Basketball Association for the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. Programming seen in each broadcasting zone is common in most areas, and includes a mix of programs supplied by Bally Sports and some original programming exclusive to FanDuel Sports Network Sun and FanDuel Sports Network Florida. Due to the naming rights deal with FanDuel, select programming fromFanDuel TV is included in the schedule.
FanDuel Sports Network Sun is also home to outdoor programming, highlighted by extensive salt and fresh water fishing programs such as the Chevy Florida Insider Fishing Report and Sportsman's Adventures.[23]
From 2003 to 2004, the network airedMajor League Wrestling's (MLW) taped weeklyprofessional wrestling showMLW Underground TV which featured taped matches from MLW's past events.[24]
On May 14, 2025, it was reported that Main Street Sports Group had opted out of its contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team then signed withScripps Sports andWXPX.[25]
FanDuel Sports Network Sun shares the broadcast rights to the aforementioned professional sports teams with FanDuel Sports Network Florida. As the two regional networks are commonly owned, events from any team/conference in which FDSN Sun and FDSN Florida broadcasts are able to air on either channel depending on the start time of each team's respective games (particularly with the Marlins and Rays, since both teams routinely play at concurring start times).
The two channels do not focus on one region of Florida (although it was long rumored since the two came under common ownership that FDSN Sun would carry only teams from the Orlando andTampa Bay areas, while FDSN Florida would carry Miami-area teams), but simply distribute games in accordance with each team's territorial rights, with both cable channels maintaining joint exclusivity over regional broadcasts of Heat, Marlins, Rays and the Magic.[26]
In 2010, theMiami Marlins moved all of their Major League Baseball games to then Fox Sports Florida, while the Tampa Bay Rays began carrying all their games on then Sun Sports. Prior to 2009, some Rays games were available onbroadcast television stations in the state via a network made up of the state'sIon Television stations.
