FanDuel SN channels could be sold as broadcaster scrambles for funds – The New York Times

FanDuel Sports Network could be sold as the broadcaster seeks funding. If a sale falls through, Main Street could ultimately be shut down following the current NBA and NHL seasons. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
A major sports broadcasting company that only recently escaped bankruptcy is in financial peril yet again.
Main Street Sports Group, which has the television rights to 29 teams across three sports — 13 in the NBA, nine in MLB and seven in the NHL — is trying to sell a majority stake to DAZN, a sports network that’s most prominent outside of the U.S., a person briefed on the conversations who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed.
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Main Street’s channels are known by their FanDuel Sports Network branding.
A sale to DAZN could be wrapped up as soon as January. If it falls through, Main Street could ultimately be shut down following the current NBA and NHL seasons, the source said. In the meantime, at least some rights-fees payments are already in jeopardy. Main Street did not make a scheduled payment to baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals last week, sources confirmed.
“Main Street Sports Group is in discussions with certain team partners around the timing of their rights payments as we progress discussions with strategic partners to further enhance our long-term capital position,” Main Street said in a statement.
Main Street could try to once again reduce what it pays to teams. During a 20-month bankruptcy proceeding that ended about a year ago, Main Street – then known as Diamond Sports Group – was able to renegotiate many of the rights-fee agreements it paid clubs, lowering costs. Partner teams and leagues might not have much interest in further revisions, however.
“… we have engaged with certain team partners around their rights payments and the terms of sustainable partnerships as we work to get more clarity on the future direction of the company,” Main Street CEO David Preschlack wrote to employees on Sunday in an email that was obtained by The Athletic.
Many regional sports networks across the U.S. have struggled as the number of traditional television subscribers has declined. If Main Street folded, the broadcast rights the company owns would revert back to the various clubs and leagues, which could then find new partners to carry games. In that scenario, games could eventually wind up on different channels than they are currently.
“We are in regular communication with our clubs and are prepared to deal with any outcome in this situation,” the NHL said in a statement. “Our top priority is to ensure no disruption to our fans.”
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MLB declined comment. Requests for comment made to DAZN and the NBA were not returned.
In a statement, the Cardinals said: “We are currently working with FanDuel Sports Network, Major League Baseball, and other stakeholders regarding our alternatives for local media distribution. We remain committed to ensuring that Cardinals games continue to be available to fans throughout our broadcast territory on cable and through direct-to-consumer streaming options in 2026.”
Sports Business Journal first reported the missed payment and the potential for Main Street to shutter without a sale to DAZN.
Main Street Sports Group is the latest iteration of a company that emerged from a messy and high-profile bankruptcy proceeding at the start of this year. When the business was known as Diamond Sports Group, the channels were branded in that period as Bally Sports.
For a large chunk of Main Street’s bankruptcy proceeding, MLB was perhaps the company’s largest critic, doubting that a reorganized plan would work. Now, trouble has quickly emerged again.
“These discussions are progressing in earnest, and we are working diligently to finalize the path forward as soon as we can,” Preschlack wrote to employees on Sunday.
If Main Street closes, ESPN would wind up carrying additional MLB teams on top of the six it already has, a person briefed on the league’s deal with ESPN said.
In 2023, MLB’s league office started handling broadcasts of baseball teams when Main Street (then Diamond) dropped some clubs it carried during the bankruptcy process. In a deal agreed to late this year, MLB granted ESPN the rights to carry those league-produced broadcasts — including the former Main Street teams that the league took on internally. Additional Main Street teams would also go to ESPN.
There’s “no scenario” in which FanDuel would enter bankruptcy again, a person briefed on the company’s thinking said.
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Founded in 2016, DAZN carries NHL and NFL games outside of the U.S. The company called itself “the world’s largest broadcaster of European football” in a 2025 news release.
In August, DAZN reached a deal to sublicense college football and basketball games from ESPN, also to an international audience.
For 2024, DAZN reported a $935.6 million pre-tax loss with about $3.19 billion in revenue. The company had about a $1.44 billion pre-tax loss the year before with $2.86 billion in revenue.
The teams under the Main Street umbrella include MLB’s Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays; the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues; and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and San Antonio Spurs.
Evan Drellich is a senior writer for The Athletic, covering baseball. He’s the author of the book Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess. Follow Evan on Twitter @EvanDrellich

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