MLB to produce local broadcasts for 6 more teams with fate of FanDuel Sports Network uncertain

The Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays will have their local television broadcasts produced and distributed by Major League Baseball this season. The Reds, Royals, Marlins, Brewers and Cardinals made their plans official on Monday with the Rays expected to make their announcement in coming days. The six clubs — along with the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels — terminated their deals after the Main Street Sports Group, which operates the regional FanDuel Sports Network stations, did not make scheduled rights payments. The Braves, Tigers and Angels still have not made a decision about their local coverage plans. Atlanta though signaled that it will not be striking a new deal with Main Street. "The Atlanta Braves are aware of the reports regarding Main Street Sports Group. While disappointed with this development, we have been actively preparing for this outcome and are well on our way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting," the statement said. MLB will produce broadcasts for at least 13 teams this season. It also added the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners during the offseason. "Our focus, particularly given the point in the calendar, is to maximize the revenue that's available to the clubs, whether that's MLB Media or third party," Commissioner Rob Manfred said last month. "The clubs have control over the timing. 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." MLB has touted expanded market reach when it takes over production of teams due to a combination of being on local cable systems, satellite and direct-to-consumer streaming. Diamond Sports Group was the largest owner of regional sports networks when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2023. At the time of the filing, Diamond operated 19 networks under the Bally Sports banner and had the rights to 42 professional teams (14 baseball, 16 NBA and 12 NHL). The networks emerged from bankruptcy proceedings last March under the Main Street Sports Group with its networks rebranded as FanDuel Sports Network. However, the networks are on the verge of insolvency and going out of business if a new majority owner or investors are not found. Main Street currently has 15 owned and operated networks under the FanDuel banner with the rights to 20 pro teams: 13 NBA and seven NHL. The NBA and NHL teams have been crafting contingency plans if Main Street suddenly goes out of business, an increasingly possible scenario over the past three weeks even though the company has committed to carrying hockey and basketball through the end of the regular season. "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," a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson said in a statement. "We appreciate the relationships we have had with these MLB partners and their fans over many years, and we wish them the best." MLB took over broadcasts of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 season and the Colorado Rockies in 2024. It added the Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins last season. Manfred said last month that local media provides more than 20% of industry revenue. "The local media landscape is evolving very quickly. It's still a very robust audience on the traditional cable model. But the economics are changing. They're becoming more of a challenge," Brewers President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger said on Monday. "The bundle that fortified all of the large rights fees in the ecosystem of 15-20 years old is changing, and we're adapting to it. The universe is going to be there. There's going to be a local game element to baseball. "Whether that evolves from the typical RSN model to solely streaming or a hybrid or other forms, to be determined. I think the fans will have optionality for local games. There's so many games that we deliver — 162 — there's plenty for everybody. I feel good about the future, even though I can't predict where it's actually going to land and when it's going to land."