Nine MLB teams that had contracts with Main Street Sports terminated those contracts with the company. Some of them may end up making 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. Negotiations between the company and the parties are ongoing. Various aspects 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 caused by the poor financial condition of the company. They recently lost paychecks to several teams, including the Cardinals and Marlins, but possibly others. Nine teams have cut ties with the company for the time being to prevent it from going through a possible bankruptcy and re-evaluate other options, but it is possible that other teams will eventually sign new deals with the company. Main Street is trying to find a buyer, although a report indicates that talks with DAZN have ended. Fubo TV may have entered the bidding but there are conflicting reports about that.
This is just the latest chapter in a saga that goes back a long time, where cable cutting and broadcasting have been replaced by the regional sports network (RSN) model. The company was previously known as the Diamond Sports Group with channels advertised as Bally Sports. Through 2023, 14 MLB clubs and many teams in other sports leagues have RSN agreements with the company. But trouble arose earlier that year when the company missed some payments. They filed for bankruptcy in March of 2023.
The company finally came out of bankruptcy in November 2024 and was renamed. Along the way, many of their deals with MLB clubs fell through. In some cases, new deals are made. On the other hand, this unit has taken over broadcasting activities. The Rangers went the other way and introduced their own RSN. Going into 2026, Main Street has 29 deals with teams across the MLB, NBA and NHL.
How MLB manages the stream will be available for all clubs involved here. “No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, an outside company or the MLB media, the fans are going to have games,” commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, per Blum.
The MLB approach is not very important to the fans. If anything, it’s a better plan. MLB still puts games on cable. For cord cutters, they have the option of broadcasting the club by paying the league directly, without turning off the electricity in the area.
However, in groups it is not a good situation. RSN deals have been a major source of revenue over the years. The Diamond/Main Street bankruptcy put many of them in dire straits. Renegotiating the company meant accepting lower fees than they were getting in their previous deals. Going with MLB will allow them to reach more fans but the income in that way is small and not guaranteed, as the income depends on how many people subscribe to the stream.
MLB managed the broadcast of five clubs in 2025: Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins and Guardians. It was reported in September that the Mariners would go down this route in 2026. A report this week suggests the Nationals may leave MASN and join the league.
In the case of at least a few clubs, this situation seems to have an impact on the pitch by reducing the club’s finances when it comes to player payments. The Padres and Twins, for example, have been trying to find the delicate balance of staying in contention while spending less on players than the front office expected.
That obviously pales in comparison to other clubs in the big markets, most of which are owned by well-to-do RSNs. In July of 2024, it was reported that the league and the MLB Players Association agreed to redirect some of the competition balance tax money to teams affected by the television situation. This week’s report indicates that the preparations were only for 2024. There was no such agreement in 2025 and nothing is currently planned for 2026.
“Clubs can control time,” Manfred said this week. “They could make the decision to move to MLB Media because of the contract situation now. I think what’s happening right now is the clubs are evaluating their alternatives. It’s clear that they’re very committed to leadership and they’re exploring other ways to get the best source of annual revenue and the best outlet in terms of providing broadcast quality to their fans.”
Due to this situation and other disturbing developments regarding the MLB broadcast environment, the league has chosen not to sign any new contracts beyond the 2028 season. It has been reported that most of MLB’s broadcast deals expire after that season. Manfred hopes to consolidate a league-wide streaming service without blackouts and/or hold a massive auction of rights to various games, with multiple broadcasters bidding against each other.
A smaller version of this happened recently when MLB’s deal with ESPN fell apart. The league then split up the former ESPN package, selling some of it back to ESPN along with other properties. Netflix has bought the rights to Opening Day, the Home Run Derby and other special events. NBC/Peacock has purchased Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card round from 2026 to 2028, along with other events. ESPN acquired property rights to the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Guardians and Twins as part of their new deal.
All of these figures depend on the upcoming negotiations of collective bargaining agreements. The current CBA expires after the 2026 season. Another lockout, like this one in 2021-22, is highly anticipated. Manfred agreed that one would happen by speaking properly about the lock-out process.
Whether that shutdown lasts long enough to cancel the games in 2027 remains to be seen. Players and the union are already concerned about the lack of cash at some clubs and the RSN situation is likely to exacerbate that. Some affected clubs may accept more profit sharing but the bigger clubs will not like that. It is expected that the owners will push their salary but the players are strongly against that.
Manfred has done many unsavory things during his time as commissioner but for now he can point to a history that includes no games missed due to labor disputes. Baseball’s popularity is also increasing, despite the aforementioned TV interference. Game Seven of the 2025 World Series was the most watched game in the world since 1991. The increase in ratings and attendance has been due to recent rule changes, particularly the rating clock.
Interrupting the 2027 season would affect that legacy and also reduce baseball’s recent production, which would be an inopportune time for the aforementioned broadcast plans. Manfred is signed until 2029 and does not plan to seek another term after that.
Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images
