The future of FanDuel Sports Networks hangs in the balance, and thousands of sports fans could lose access to their favorite teams unless a crucial sale to DAZN goes through. But here's where it gets controversial: is this the beginning of the end for regional sports networks as we know them? Let’s dive into the details and explore what’s at stake.
According to a report by Tom Friend in Sports Business Journal, Main Street Sports Group—the owner of the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks—is teetering on the edge of collapse. The company reportedly missed a December rights payment to the St. Louis Cardinals, and unless the sale to sports streaming giant DAZN closes by January, the networks face imminent dissolution. This isn’t just about one team or one network; Main Street’s 29 franchises across the NBA, NHL, and MLB are all at risk of missing critical rights payments in the coming months.
If the DAZN deal falls through, Main Street will likely “wind down and dissolve” the FanDuel Sports Networks by the end of this year’s NBA and NHL regular seasons. However, the NBA is already preparing for a nightmare scenario: the networks folding mid-season. In such a case, the league would step in, using its League Pass platform to broadcast games for the 13 teams currently airing on FanDuel. Teams would then need to scramble to secure linear distribution deals with local over-the-air affiliates to stay on traditional TV—a process one NBA executive called “our worst fear.”
And this is the part most people miss: Main Street Sports Group is the successor to Diamond Sports Group, which emerged from a lengthy Chapter 11 bankruptcy just a year ago. Diamond’s go-forward plan involved reducing rights payments to affiliated teams, but even those reduced rates are significantly higher than what over-the-air partnerships offer. This explains why so many teams have stuck with regional sports networks despite the declining economics of the business.
While rare, mid-season platform shifts aren’t unprecedented. During Diamond’s bankruptcy, several MLB teams saw their rights revert to the league after missed payments. MLB quickly stepped in, streaming games on its own platform and securing over-the-air deals—a playbook the NBA seems ready to follow. Main Street reportedly won’t file for bankruptcy again if it fails to make payments; instead, it would enter a “cure period” to catch up. If that fails, local broadcast rights would revert to the teams.
Here’s where it gets even more intriguing: this crisis could accelerate the launch of a centralized local broadcast platform for leagues like the NBA and MLB. Sports Business Journal suggests the NBA could bring 28 of its 30 teams on board as early as next season, leaving only the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers—with their lucrative local deals—on the sidelines. But the more teams that join, the more valuable such a platform becomes to tech and streaming giants.
The fate of FanDuel Sports Networks—and the broader regional sports network model—now hinges on DAZN’s decision. If the London-based company buys Main Street, teams will likely see their current rights agreements honored. But if DAZN walks away, NBA and NHL teams could face mid-season media rights chaos.
Is this the end of regional sports networks as we know them, or just a painful transition to a new era of sports broadcasting? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this is a debate worth having.
