The Brewers announced that they have a new deal in place with Main Street Sports, the company that owns FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. It’s unclear if it’s a one-year deal or a multi-year pact, but the Brewers will be back on the same channel in 2026. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com was among those to relay the news.
It’s presumably good news for the Brewers, or at least not bad news. The regional sports network (RSN) model has been crumbling in recent years, thanks to cord-cutting and the rise of streaming. Several clubs in the majors have seen their RSN deals collapse. Those clubs have been left to have Major League Baseball run their broadcasts in a direct-to-customer model. That can work out better for some fans, as they can avoid blackouts, but it leads to less revenue for teams.
The Royals are also re-upping with Main Street Sports, exercising their mutual option for the 2026 season. “There is nothing more important to us than connecting with and making our games available to our great fans,” Royals Chairman/CEO John Sherman said in a press release. “Our viewership is growing and continues to rank among the best in baseball, both through linear cable and streaming.”
The partnership with Main Street Sports has been an effective one. Royals games ranked No. 1 in primetime in the Kansas City area this past season, according to the release. “Our multi-platform strategy drove strong viewership growth last season, and we look forward to working together to expand their audience reach and drive fan engagement,” Sarah Tourville, Executive Vice President, Team Partnerships, FanDuel Sports Network, said in the release.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
It feels kind of wrong for a gambling company to be in business with sports clubs. There are restaurants in stadiums with gambling theme. (Fandual, draft kings) at what point do you draw the line.
It’s not kind of wrong. It is wrong. Billups, rozier etc aren’t the first and definitely won’t be the last with gambling as ingrained as it has become in sports.
They already passed the line. For MLB $ > ethics
Y’all have it WRONG! FanDuel is paying the channels’ actual owner Main Street Sports to put the betting company’s name on those RSNs. In other words, it’s a naming rights deal.
Also, the Cincinnati Reds have announced they’re returning to FanDuel Sports.
Chalk, any for profit entity $> ethics
Nothing reported bout the mariners abandoning root sports what a dang shame
They talked about it in September.
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/09/mlb-to-take-over-marine…
It was nice to see FanDuel break the blackout in the KC market. It had lasted 25 years and an entire generation really never saw the Royals even play. But the broadcast experience was kind of rough and tech glitchy