MLB teams flee cash-strapped FanDuel Sports Network for MLB’s broadcast group

The St. Louis Cardinals became the latest team to leave the beleaguered FanDuel Sports Network.Luke Hales / Getty Images

With spring training about to begin, Major League Baseball could end up with a full break from Main Street Sports Group, a cash-strapped TV partner that began the offseason poised to televise nine clubs in 2026 — nearly a third of the league’s teams.

Main Street, which operates regional sports channels throughout the U.S. that are branded as FanDuel Sports Network, has thus far been fruitless in a search for a buyer it needs to stay afloat. The broadcaster carries 13 basketball teams and seven hockey teams as well.

“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,” Main Street said in a statement. “We appreciate the relationships we have had with these MLB partners and fans over many years, and we wish them the best.”

Six baseball clubs that were partnered with Main Street last year — the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays — announced Monday that they will let MLB itself oversee production and distribution of their telecasts.

“Our top priority is making sure that Cardinals fans can watch their team as easily as possible,” said Anuk Karunaratne, Cardinals senior vice president of business operations, in a news release. “Whether you prefer cable, satellite, or streaming, you’ll have uninterrupted access to every in-market game through this new model. MLB brings world-class production capabilities, and we’re excited about what this means for the future of Cardinals broadcasts.”

The Detroit Tigers are also likely to head to MLB, sources said, but their timeline is complicated by the fact that their ownership group also owns a hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings, that is carried on Main Street’s airwaves.

Meanwhile, the TV home for two other clubs, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels, isn’t clear yet. The Braves could start up their own network, sources said. The Braves in a statement Monday said they “have been actively preparing for this outcome and are well on our way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting.”

The Angels and MLB declined comment Monday.Puck first reported many of the club decisions Monday.

Teams in the past have reversed course and returned to Main Street even after announcing plans otherwise. Before last season, the Brewers and Reds said they were joining MLB’s group, but they ultimately worked out a deal with Main Street.

That scenario doesn’t seem likely to repeat itself, however.

As recently as December, nine MLB teams were in line to be carried by Main Street in 2026. But the company that month began to miss scheduled rights-fee payments, including to the Cardinals. All nine MLB teams subsequently terminated their agreements with the company.

Nonetheless, a reunion between at least some MLB teams and Main Street remained possible in January, contingent on two things: the sides working out new terms, and Main Street finding more cash.

Main Street was offering the Reds about $42 million to stay, sources said, down from the $52 million they would have paid under the deal that was terminated. But Main Street didn’t find a buyer to back the revised deal, and Sunday was viewed as at least a soft deadline across sports.

Main Street was supposed to make more rights-fees payments on Sunday to its basketball and hockey partners. Meanwhile, for the MLB clubs, February’s arrival only adds more pressure to sell TV ads and streaming subscriptions for the upcoming season.

MLB plans to start selling its direct-to-consumer subscription packages for the teams it carries later this month.

Main Street has struggled for a long time, emerging from a 20-month Chapter 11 bankruptcy process only a year ago. The company was previously known as Diamond Sports Group, and its channels were branded as Bally Sports.

During bankruptcy, MLB was a vocal critic of Main Street’s future prospects, but many baseball teams wound up partnering with the company again anyway. The clubs stuck around then for the same reason some had interest in sticking around now: the teams felt they might still make more money off their TV rights for 2026 by staying with Main Street, even with Main Street’s woes.

Local TV revenue is a significant line item for baseball teams, and there’s a big difference for clubs that join MLB’s internal group. The league does not promise clubs a set rights fee, while Main Street and other traditional regional sports networks historically have. MLB pays a club only whatever it ultimately earns.

“This decision followed extensive discussions and careful planning over time, with a focus on what would best deliver Marlins baseball to our fans,” said Marlins owner Bruce Sherman in a statement. “MLB’s production and distribution capabilities allow us to deliver a high-quality broadcast experience across both traditional television and streaming while ensuring Marlins baseball remains widely accessible throughout Florida.”

Regional channels have struggled this decade amidst cord-cutting, and more than half of MLB’s 30 teams have seen their TV revenue drop in the last three years.

According toMLB’s official website, “for the clubs that lost their RSN deals, the broadcast deals replacing them have, on average, paid out about 50 percent of what clubs had received from their former cable deals.”

In response, MLB’s broadcast portfolio is approaching nearly half of the league. Before this influx, seven teams were already under the league’s umbrella for 2026: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals.

Five of those teams came to MLB the same way: their time with Diamond Sports Group, Main Street’s former iteration, came to an end.

Main Street hopes to be able to operate at least through the ongoing NBA and NHL seasons. Whether it’ll be able to do so is to be seen.

The 13 teams carried on Main Street’s channels in the NBA are the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs.

In addition to the Red Wings in hockey, Main Street has the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators,  Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes.

— The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand contributed to this report