MLB TV rights

[imref]

https://www.sportspro.com/news/broadcast-ott/mlb-main-street-fanduel-sports-network-offer-washington-nationals-january-2026/

FanDuel Sports Network owner Main Steet Sports has reportedly made new three-year deals to nine Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that ended their agreements with the regional sports network (RSN) operator last week.

Main Street’s MLB portfolio included the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

However, the company, which was previously known as Diamond Sports Group (DSG), continues to face financial issues despite emerging from a two-year bankruptcy period at the start of 2025 and missed scheduled payments to the nine MLB teams earlier this month.

but until a deal is concluded, the firm is seeking to find a solution that both eases its cashflow situation and makes it attractive to potential suitors.

According to The Athletic, Main Street is offering revised three-year deals that promise both guaranteed payment and revenue sharing components. The proposals are reportedly dependent on Main Street being sold and would allow the company to defer payments until later this year. DAZN was believed to have be in advanced discussions to acquire Main Street but a takeover is unlikely to go ahead.

[HalfSmokes]

Why on earth would teams agree to this? This makes Fanduel worth less than zero if any acquirer also owed back payments. I’m also curious how an entity with no assets can guarantee anything. Secured creditors come first, but if there are no assets, that irrelevant. Every team becoming secured also seems like it would erase their ability to raise capital. It also probably represents a material change that would force them to offer NBA and NHL teams the same terms


Edit, the Athletic story has said deals have been offered, the sport pro site says deals have been made. That’s pretty terrible writing/reporting

[Slateman]

According to the Athletic, the following teams' TV revenue is in jeopardy due to struggles with Fan Duel's network:

Braves
Reds
Tigers
Royals
Angels
Marlins
Brewers
Cardinals
Rays

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6948445/2026/01/07/fanduel-sports-network-renegotiate-payments-cardinals/

MLB getting the Braves, Tigers, and Cardinals would do a lot to boost their impromptu network. In one offseason, they would have #7,8, 14, and 24 ranked media markets. I'd argue that while St. Louis is #24, they'd bring a lot more fans than that. Tampa is technically a top 10 market, but I don't imagine they bring much.

[blue911]

The Cards radio network has over 100 affiliates,if that’s any indication of their market size.

[imref]

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/02/02/sources-all-nine-mlb-teams-officially-leaving-main-street-nba-and-nhl-in-holding-pattern/

All nine MLB teams whose games are broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network are officially departing the parent company Main Street Sports Group, with eight of the nine expected to migrate to MLB Media, SBJ has learned.

The ninth team, the Braves, are expected to launch their own network, perhaps to air on a national streaming platform such as Amazon or Apple or with a template similar to the Rangers Sports Network -- which has direct-to-distributor deals with cable and satellite providers, a local over-the-air partner and a streaming outlet in Victory+.

The other eight teams -- the Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals and Rays -- will purportedly strike deals with local distributors in their respective home markets and, according to sources Monday afternoon, likely stream their games on the MLB app.

With still 52 days before Opening Day, sources said it is remains possible teams such as the Rays and Angels could strike independent streaming deals with Victory+, ViewLift, Kiswe, Endeavor or some other platform. But, as of Monday afternoon, sources believed the others (Cardinals, Brewers, Royals, Reds, Marlins and Tigers) were staying within the MLB umbrella and the other two were trending that way.

[imref]

ESPN has finally launched mlb.tv on its platform

• $149.99 full season for non-subscribers
• $134.99 for ESPN Unlimited subscribers
• $29.99 monthly option

this only includes out of market mlb broadcasts.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/02/10/mlb-tv-espn-prices-2026-subscription/88600028007/

[Natsinpwc]

ESPN has finally launched mlb.tv on its platform

• $149.99 full season for non-subscribers
• $134.99 for ESPN Unlimited subscribers
• $29.99 monthly option

this only includes out of market mlb broadcasts.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/02/10/mlb-tv-espn-prices-2026-subscription/88600028007/

From what I read you can use either the MLB or ESPN platforms.  If you subscribe though espn. Their app kind of sucks though.  Will stick with MLB if I can.

[nfotiu]

Add in all the teams like the Nats that have in-market mlb.tv plans, and they have the most confusing mess ever.    It's hard to see the point of adding the ESPN layer.

[HalfSmokes]

$15 off for subscribers

[Natsinpwc]

$15 off for subscribers

Yea isn’t espn unlimited $30 a month?  Not much of a discount

[nfotiu]

They just needed to strike up a deal to get all out of market games, and all in market games for teams MLB is producing on ESPN unlimited with no extra fee.  Get people used to watching like that, and have games available and promoted to a large audience, make some ad revenue and grow things from there.

They are pennywise and pound foolish with this approach and making a big mess of everything.   The out of market subscription fee brings in some revenue, but it is spread across all the teams and probably isn't enough to afford a decent 7th inning reliever for each team.   Same goes for the amount of revenue charging $100/year for in market streaming which might raise enough to get a middle inning reliever.

They need to get eyes watching, and having a bunch of confusing streaming packages that seem expensive to all but the most rabid fans is just shooting themselves in the foot.   They don't need to worry about keeping the cable RSN golden goose money any more, so go do something that gets the teams exposed at least.

[Natsinpwc]

Just end the blackouts.  MLB tv is great for baseball nerds and anyone who is out of market for their team.  Which is more and more people as we get mobile and live around more.  They’re trying to force everyone to the eapn app eventually.  I prefer mlb as the espn app acts up for me.  But it seems inevitable.  The kids don’t watch live sports anyway. Just highlights.  Blackouts for the local teams are just dumb at this point.  So is going to other networks but MLB is not going to turn down money.

[nfotiu]

Just end the blackouts.  MLB tv is great for baseball nerds and anyone who is out of market for their team.  Which is more and more people as we get mobile and live around more.  They’re trying to force everyone to the eapn app eventually.  I prefer mlb as the espn app acts up for me.  But it seems inevitable.  The kids don’t watch live sports anyway. Just highlights.  Blackouts for the local teams are just dumb at this point.  So is going to other networks but MLB is not going to turn down money.

There aren't really blackouts anymore for people in Nat's territory.   The $199 package gets you what you want.   https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe/nationals

The danger of them being on their own app is that there is no promotion or visibility to anyone except subscribers.   There is also hope that someone like ESPN will overpay to drive up their subscriptions.

[Natsinpwc]

There aren't really blackouts anymore for people in Nat's territory.   The $199 package gets you what you want.   https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe/nationals

The danger of them being on their own app is that there is no promotion or visibility to anyone except subscribers.   There is also hope that someone like ESPN will overpay to drive up their subscriptions.

Well I still am blacked out here for any Marlins or Rays. Not sure if there is some local option but don’t think I would pay the extra anyway.

[Natsinpwc]

Well I still am blacked out here for any Marlins or Rays. Not sure if there is some local option but don’t think I would pay the extra anyway.

Of course just got an email from Rays TV with basically the same thing. $199.99 for their games and MLB TV

Also filled out a survey the other day they sent me about the proposed new ballpark.

[nfotiu]

Well I still am blacked out here for any Marlins or Rays. Not sure if there is some local option but don’t think I would pay the extra anyway.

Yeah, those kind of blackouts are the most annoying.   With MLB now owning and selling in market rights to 20 teams, you'd think they could allow you to a designate a favorite team that doesn't get their games blacked out because of local tv territories in at least those 20 markets.