The nine MLB teams who had contracts with Main Street Sports have terminated those contracts with the company. It’s possible that some of them eventually work out new deals with the broadcaster, which operates channels under the FanDuel Sports Network banner. The teams are the Braves, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals and Rays. Talks between the company and the teams are ongoing. Various elements of this developing story were reported by Evan Drellich of The Athletic, Alden González of ESPN, Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
The issue is due to the poor financial state of the company. They have recently missed payments to several teams, including the Cardinals and Marlins, but possibly others. The nine teams have cut ties with the company for now to keep them away from potential bankruptcy proceedings and explore other options, but it’s possible some teams will eventually sign new pacts with the company. Main Street is trying to find a buyer, though the reporting indicates talks with DAZN have fizzled out. Fubo TV might have stepped into the bidding but there are conflicting reports about that.
This is just the latest chapter in a saga that goes back quite a while, with cord cutting and streaming having chipped away the regional sports network (RSN) model. The company was previously known as Diamond Sports Group with channels marketed as Bally Sports. Going into 2023, 14 MLB clubs and many teams in other sports leagues had RSN deals with the company. But trouble emerged early that year when the company missed some payments. They filed for bankruptcy in March of 2023.
The company eventually emerged from bankruptcy in November of 2024 and then rebranded. Along the way, many of their deals with MLB clubs fell apart. In some cases, new deals were worked out. In other cases, the league took over broadcasting duties. The Rangers went a different route and launched their own RSN. Coming into 2026, Main Street has 29 deals with teams across MLB, the NBA and NHL.
The path of MLB handling the broadcasts will be available for all the clubs involved here. “No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,” commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, per Blum.
The MLB path is largely inconsequential for fans. If anything, it’s a better arrangement. MLB still puts the games on cable. For cord-cutters, they have the option of streaming the club by paying the league directly, with no local blackouts.
For the teams, however, it’s not a great situation. RSN deals have been a big source of revenue over the years. The bankruptcy of Diamond/Main Street put many of them in a tough position. Renegotiating with the company meant accepting lower fees than they had been receiving on their previous deals. Going with MLB would allow them to potentially reach more fans but the revenue in that path is both lesser and not guaranteed, as the money is contingent on how many people sign up to stream.
MLB handled the broadcasts of five clubs in 2025: the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins and Guardians. It was reported in September that the Mariners would go down this route in 2026. This week’s reporting suggests the Nationals will likely leave MASN and join with the league as well.
In the cases of at least a few of these teams, the situation seems to had on-field implications by reducing the club’s spending capacity when it comes to player payroll. The Padres and Twins, for instance, have been trying to strike a delicate balance of staying in contention while having less to spend on players than the front office may have once anticipated.
That’s obviously a disadvantage compared to some big-market clubs, many of whom are co-owners in RSNs which are relatively healthy in larger population areas. In July of 2024, it was reported that the league and the MLB Players Association had agreed to redirect some competitive balance tax money to teams impacted by the television situation. This week’s reporting indicates that arrangement was for 2024 alone. There was no such deal in place for 2025 and there’s currently nothing lined up for 2026 either.
“The clubs have control over the timing,” Manfred said this week. “They can make a decision to move to MLB Media because of the contractual status now. I think that what’s happening right now clubs are evaluating their alternatives. Obviously they’ve made significant payroll commitments already and they’re evaluating the alternatives to find the best revenue source for the year and the best outlet in terms of providing quality broadcasts to their fans.”
With this situation and other disruptive developments in terms of MLB’s broadcast landscape, the league’s preference has been to not sign any new contracts that go beyond the 2028 season. It has been reported that many of MLB’s broadcast deals expire after that season. Manfred hopes to put together a league-wide streaming service with no blackouts and/or have a big auction of rights to various games, with multiple broadcasters bidding against each other.
A mini version of this happened recently when MLB’s deal with ESPN fell apart. The league then split up ESPN’s previous package, selling some of it back to ESPN along with other elements. Netflix bought the rights to Opening Day, the Home Run Derby and some other special events. NBC/Peacock bought Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card round from 2026 to 2028, as well as other events. ESPN acquired the local rights for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Guardians and Twins as part of their new deal.
All of this figures to hang over the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current CBA expires after the 2026 season. Another lockout, like the one in 2021-22, is widely expected. Manfred has essentially admitted that one will occur by speaking positively about the lockout process.
Whether that lockout extends long enough to cancel games in 2027 remains to be seen. The players and the union are already concerned by a lack of spending from some clubs and the RSN situation will likely only exacerbate that. Some of the impacted clubs would likely welcome more revenue sharing but the bigger clubs wouldn’t be as keen on that. The owners are expected to push for a salary cap but the players are strongly opposed to that.
Manfred has made plenty of unpopular moves in his time as commissioner but he can currently point to a legacy that includes no games missed due to labor strife. Baseball’s popularity is also on the rise, despite the aforementioned TV disruption. Game Seven of the 2025 World Series was the most-watched game around the world since 1991. The uptick in ratings and attendance has been attributed by many to recent rule changes, particularly the pitch clock.
Disrupting the 2027 season would impact that legacy and also cut into baseball’s recent surge, which would be inopportune timing with the aforementioned future broadcast plans. Manfred is signed through 2029 and does not plan to seek another term after that.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
The RSN fiasco continues.
Traditional media is dying. Network television is on its death bed. Stream baby stream. Even the mighty NFL moved all of their Thursday night games to Prime Video.
While weakened, network television still lives on through streaming services like YouTube TV.
And yet…almost all of the streamers are loosing billions quarterly for years trying to supplant Cable.
Turns out the future was over promised, under delivered, and years late.
Cable will die when cars drive themselves; tomorrow for the believers, years for the practical, and never for the troglodytes.
That’s part of it, but in this case the main issue is that Diamond Sports Group used debt leveraging to buy out Fox Sports Net and their RSN deals in the first place, that is they took out a large loan to be able to buy the company.
We really need some regulations over this kind of corporate shadiness. It’s the same issue that killed Toys ‘R Us once they began losing revenue during the pandemic.
Toys ‘R Us was dying long long before the pandemic. It just finished off the weakened entity
Man, I miss being a kid and not having to give a crud about stuff like this.
but then you’d be missing out on the wonderful world of ghost runners, in-season tournies and moving foul poles (err — not announced yet — keep it on the down low).
You mean the in-season tournament that Manfred recently spoke negatively about and said he didn’t think would work well in MLB?
And what did he also say about the moving foul pole?
Haven’t heard anything about that. Most relevant thing I can find is when they expanded the safety netting back around 2020.
Wait, is the moving foul pole a joke or is this rumored to be a real thing?
LOL — it’s hyperbole, but I appreciate that if some are taking it seriously, Manfred may have gone a step too far.
Moving foul poles — I’d love to see a COF have time to “man” the moving foul pole with the ability to hit it in mid-air knocking it foul with the bottom attached to the ground, like a gunner on a warship.
He made as many comments in favor of moving the foul poles as he did in favor of an in-season tournament 😉
When I was a kid, my team televised 25 games a year. Some on tape delay.
Even Monday night baseball was on tape delay.
I had to listen to Nolan Ryan break the all-time strikeout record. I listened to two of Ryan’s four no hitters.
I prefer today.
Years ago my only option for Jays games was the radio and then it would be often be pre-empted for Quebec Major-Junior League hockey.
Because hockey is played in dead of summer or fans were more interested In hockey, not sure which is true
In April it would be QMJHL playoffs, so Le but!
I remember 2 of Ryan’s 4 No hitters with the Angels were on KTLA Ch-5. They were against KC and Detroit. Exactly 2 months apart
Yes sir. If my memory serves, May 15 and July 15th, 1973. I watched both games. The other three I mentioned were radio only.
True. But they were both Angel home games and it’s possible someone saw all 4 .
The Baltimore one Ryan struck out future Angel Bobby Grich on a change up for the last out Ouch!! Not fair
Grich insisted that pitch was low.
Four no hitters in three years, four different catchers.
Yes Sir,
I know one was Ellie Rodriquez, Jeff Torborg the other 2 escape me.
The Detroit no hitter I think it was Al Kaline came up to bat with a table leg. He figured he try something else,didnt have any luck batting against Ryan with a bat.
Art Kushner and I think Tom Egan.
It was Norm Cash who came up with a table leg. It was over 50 years ago, you’re forgiven.
You’ are e correct.
@Halo I remember the first time the Angels televised a home game it was in 1978.vs The Royals.. I wanted to stay home and watch it. But I ended up going to the Orange Drive In on Katella Ave and watching Animal House with my brother and a friend.
I remember that stuff as well. When they made Monday night baseball, it was a huge deal.
I miss being a kid and not having to give a crud about stuff like this.
=========================
My on-line access budget is smaller than my potato chip budget. When I was a kid, it was either the NYY, NYM, or nothing.. This is 100x better.
“This is just the latest chapter in a saga that goes back quite a while, with cord cutting and streaming having chipped away the regional sports network (RSN) model.”
Darragh, are you suggesting the (chipped) model of RSN’s is lesser/not-as-dramatic as claimed by clubs/MLB? Sincerely asking, and could just be the adjective choice I’m caught on.
“chipped” (in “chipped away”) is a verb in the section you posted, not an adjective. Darragh is saying that this is a continuation of cord butting and streaming services taking the viability away from the RSN model.
Yes on verb not adj.
Point was ‘chipped’ vs. other verbs. ‘Chipped’, to me, seems a lesser (though accurate?) word choice than other terms used in describing the RSN model. Verbs most often associated with the RSN model typically sit in the ‘cratering/tanking/vanishing’ realm.
Chipped, to me, seems to indicate the ‘fall’ of RSN’s at a slower pace than other reports/talking points. Just wondering…
Well, the big-market clubs are still fine. Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, etc. I guess that’s why I opted for “chipped” as opposed to something harsher.
I think “chipped” reflects the reality of the situation better. It really has felt, to me, like a long and slow process for the last 15 or so years. Heck, even I was a cable holdout for a while (just got baseball basically) until I finally stopped several years back.
Oh yes, I very much agree with ‘chipped’, but it would be one of the first times I can recall the discussion presented that way.
I’ve held on to cable, while my brother was an early an often cord cutter. He’s back to cable after a 15 year journey, lol.
To me, the ‘cut the cord’ thing was another example of people not understanding the bird-in-the-hand. Customers don’t always know what’s best for them.
Thanks. Was curious as to how you meant chipped. I do think that’s accurate and true in many regards. I am very fascinated with how the next couple years play out for broadcasting and sports leagues in general, so thanks for coverage.
Keep pouring money in so the quality of the game can keep declining.
Thank you, greedy ba$tards.
Your son has missed school nine times.
Nine times?!
I don’t know anything about it but its a bad look when a third of the teams choose a broke media partner to broadcast their ball games.
WGN was a good partner. WFLD channel 32 was good back in the day for White Sox games.
WGN and TBS were great partners in growing the game of baseball all over the nation especially for those teams. Then Bud Selig decided to get rid of superstations and the growth of RSNs began. Now where is the easy money for owners to take and profit? They don’t know so let’s go with a stupid in season tournament and see if ESPN or Fox will pay big money for an exclusive deal!
The cynic in me (which is most of me at this point) thinks an in-season tourney would be all about generating gambling dollars.
Thankfully Manfred said that an in-season tournament doesn’t make much sense for MLB, so I don’t think we need to worry about that.
“Let me hear yah — A one, a two, Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, ….”
Harry Carey was a good announcer. I didnt like Steve Stone coming to the southside back then but he was good with Harry and has been around long enough on the southside now that he has won over most of the fans, both HOF announcers.
Len Kasper, another Cubs defector, he and DJ should be demoted to AAA Charlotte.
Hawk and Wimpy on WFLD — those were the days.
ESPN and every broadcaster on their network, they all make me turn the game off.
Steve teamed up with Harry on the Northside. Harry previously worked for the White Sox before he moved North. Steve went the other route and moved to the White Sox from the Cubs.
“choose a broke media partner to broadcast their ball games.”
Not only that, but a broke media partner associated with gambling.
They weren’t broke at the time.
The teams didn’t choose them. The broke company used debt leveraging to buy out their already existing deals from a previous owner.
Fascinating to watch this. It’s also crazy to see how hard it is to watch some of these games. One fiasco after another. I think more people would watch baseball if it was cheaper and easier to access it, especially now that the pitch clock is making the games shorter and drag a lot less.
I thought this was Thursday’s big news? Great that consumers cut cable and now people are not buying additional streaming services. And some wonder why big name free agents have not signed yet.
I wonder what impact this will have on labor negotiations if any.
Massive. There are now close to half the teams with either no or bargain basement RSN deals. If they were pushing their limits they’re now having to cut back, even while the big market teams which own their own networks continue to have unlimited budgets.
The big fight in these negotiations isn’t going to be between owners and players, it’s going to be among owners. And it’s gonna cost the Dodgers and Mets and Phillies and Blue Jays and Yankees a freakin’ FORTUNE to pay off the small market owners this time.
Seam I think you’re right and I think they should want to help the small market teams. It’s better for business when there’s more competition and more teams.
But interestingly 5 of those 9 teams are trending to increase payroll in ‘26, MIL and SEA just barely so.
Only 3 other orgs are currently above their ‘25 OD payrolls and 2 (ChiSox and Miami, bottom 2 in ‘25) are only a bit above – Miami only because their $10 mil payment to Stanton starts this year. Big declines for StL and the Angels (the latter may start adding soon after resolving the Rendon deal, StL is resetting and has seen huge attendance declines in last 2 years). Tampa (took the stadium hit in ‘25) and Cincy are both down less than $10 mil, could end up a bit over with signings, and usually frugal.
So it seems they are somewhat confident their revenues will mostly hold up. But will definitely be a CBA talking point for the owners.
They already are paying them off. 48 percent of the gate gets pooled. I don’t think the issue is paying the smaller market owners I think the issue is when they pocket the money instead of using it the way it’s supposed to be. Basically every team gets back more than they put into the pool except the ones you mentioned. I’d be mad as hell if that money just goes into other owners pockets and they call it passive income
Or maybe it’s the reverse. Maybe they cut the cord so they can cry poverty during the negotiations. It feels like they want to consolidate all broadcasting anyway, so cast away some inconsequential providers now?
Joe – if anything, it believe the anti-bankruptcy timing.
If the group goes back into bankruptcy, those rights deals are tied up in uncertainty and it costs actual money to sort out. Jump ship before the fiasco is cleaner, easier, and puts control in the clubs hands rather than a judge as intermediary
Here’s my idea. A salary cap, but also some sort of revenue sharing with the players. The current system just isn’t fair to smaller market teams. Plus, it’s now obvious the days of plentiful revenue from RSNs are now over.
Sailing the seven seas it seems…
Good riddance. the plague of MLB handing over the keys to their game to organized gambling continues.
@cguy. Fanduel sold their name, as a sponsorship and were bailing them out. They didn’t own it. Main street/diamond ran out of money.
Odds are MLB is on the short end of this stick!
Go back to the days of a local channel carrying the games. That will solve it. Streaming sucks for sports.
The vast majority of people do not have local channels on their cable box, if they even have cable.
Also I think a lot of non baseball fans probably prefer their regular scheduled programming.
No, most cable/satellite packages over the last couple of decades (at least) have included local channels. It was only in the early years of cable that you often didn’t get local channels.
As for cord cutters, that’s partially what streaming services like YouTube TV are for.
There’s this crazy little device, so many youngsters never heard of or dont understand, and the elderly forgot….
Its called an ANTENNA. And all your flat screen TVs can get your local channels. Free. No YouTubeTV needed. Pay your $20 once and never again.
Its really quite an amazing thing.
Sell MLB to Facebook — the entire catfish dinner.
Facebook needs some new content.
Each team could have a garage sale at the end of the season, could raise a few bucks.
Brewers fan here, and I’m old-school enough to watch nearly every game via cable. Would be just as happy to watch those games on a streaming service, as long as I can watch them. (Spectrum, my cable provider, also streams the limited number of channels that I pay for, including FanDuel.)
Until MLB figures out a way to provide more equitable TV revenue to small market teams — and until they rethink their stupid blackout rules — the economics of the game get even more lopsided. (The Brewers are in the smallest TV market and are always bottom-third in payroll, although they manage to compete.) Of course, this would require a salary cap/floor as well as more revenue sharing…good luck with all that.
How has the NBA figured this out, even though most local games are still carried in many markets by RSN’s? (The Bucks, for example, are also on FanDuel.) Because their economics and labor contracts are aligned with today’s marketplace, while MLB is about 30 years behind the curve.
Excellant and well versed article Darragh! Enjoy your work on MLB TRand the podcast!
I know the ducks use victory. You get the games if you live in the area. Wonder if angels go that route.
@Rex- Hopefully the Ducks owner buys the Angels someday. He sold a good % of his company. So he has a ton of money now (Not that he didn’t before)
They didn’t terminate the contracts. Those contacts were only signed through 2025.
When DSG came out of bankruptcy those teams signed a 1 year deal with them.
Now they will join the teams that are already allowing MLB to handle their broadcast rights.
3 of the teams that MLB now handles, the Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Padres have indicated they have had no drop in broadcast revenue since MLB took over. None missed a single game and all we’re on same cable and satellite outlets. The Padres have seen a 1.1 million TV household growth in their media market since MLB took over, which along with their continuing spending would lead you to think that their revenue has gone up.
The other teams have not publicly indicated one way or the other.
Why do sportswriters assume the worst when their are no facts to back up their assumptions.
If the Braves broadcast rights start to be handled by MLB we will know within one quarter if they are losing revenue.
The rest of the article is a pile of unmitigated garbage with so many falsehoods that it would take more words to take apart than I have the time or inclination to do.
Tim, what happened to your site? It has devolved into a cesspool unless Steve is writing.
San Diego did indicate their revenues dropped a lot when they lost their RSN contract. MIN did as well.
Baseballisthebest, that’s incorrect. Some were 2-year deals. Others already renewed for 2026. So, yes terminated.
We should all pitch in and buy a TV network like that movie UHF with Weird Al Yankovic:
“Badgers, we don’t need no stinking badgers.”
The blackout rules are dumb. I live in southern Iowa, 3 hours from any MLB team and 4 of those teams are blacked out for me. Hard to be a fan when you can’t watch them.
I listen to games on the radio, there is an app that has all the radio streams for every team, many of the streams are blocked by IP geolocation for being out of market but often can tune in out of market games.
Superfan sports app is great. Thats how I follow most local games anymore. Radio and the app.
I also watch the free game of the day on mlb.tv.
I think the owners are going to try and use this a leverage for a salary cap(which the players will never agree to) And if by some miraculous chance the players do agree to that.
The Owners will negotiate a massive TV deal with someone.. And announce expansion. And they will a ton of money from the 2 new franchises.
What’s the primary limiting reason that teams don’t create their own RSN, similar to NESN or the Yes Network? Is it the capital investment that would be required to purchase cameras, Hiring broadcaster talent, or the cost of new studio equipment? Why don’t they just build their own network and uplink the games to satellite and sell it through cable and satellite subscribers and through streaming? This way they can keep more of the advertising revenue and fill additional programing with local sports, like in Anaheim, they can fill time with Beach volleyball and poker games. Why doesn’t Artie Moreno partner with a rich owner like Steve Balmer and they can broadcast Angels and Clipper games. The Dodgers and the Lakers can now consolidate and increase profits because both teams have the same ownership group and they also have a sweet contract with Time-Warner.