DAZN still mulling purchase of Main Street Sports Group
DAZN still mulling purchase of Main Street Sports Group
The company hopes that acquiring local rights to MLB clubs through Main Street now will be to its advantage in the coming years.
It currently appears that Main Street Sports Group’s path to further existence is a very narrow one. The company, which is responsible for broadcasting FanDuel Sports Network regional sports channels, is currently exploring its options. In late December, reports emerged that Main Street had held talks with the international sports streamer DAZN about a possible acquisition, but the discussions seemed to fall through with no deal in place. However, a new report indicates DAZN hasn’t given up the pursuit of Main Street just yet.
Key Details:
- Still in the picture: DAZN hasn’t completely ended its pursuit of Main Street Sports Group.
- Getting an in: DAZN’s interest is with an eye toward snagging more MLB local rights in 2028.
- Last hope: Without a hand from DAZN or another company, Main Street may be in its last season of operation.
Sports Business Journal reported on Friday that DAZN has a meeting tentatively scheduled with MLB next week. At that meeting, DAZN will try to determine if buying the local rights to the nine MLB clubs that partnered with Main Street in 2025 will give it an advantage in the future.
In 2028, MLB hopes to launch a new streaming platform that offers blackout-free access to in-market games from all 30 teams in the league. DAZN wants to sound out league officials to see if purchasing local rights now will give it a leg up to be the main distribution partner for that in-market streaming platform.
The MLB teams that were on FanDuel SN channels last year have given Main Street an ultimatum: secure financing for the upcoming season, or their partnership is at an end. SBJ says that the combined 20 NBA and NHL teams whose games are distributed on FanDuel Sports Networks are also watching closely to see if the DAZN negotiations pan out, as all have been asked to take 20% less in rights fees, and to defer payments until the second or third quarter.
There are a lot of possible outcomes here. DAZN could become Main Street’s financial backstop in the coming weeks, righting the ship and helping the company cruise through 2026 with no more speed bumps. But the NBA and NHL are reportedly ready with backup plans if that falls through, and MLB is prepared to broadcast and distribute games from the nine teams formerly partnered with Main Street itself.
Fubo also had reported interest in at least considering a purchase of Main Street, though SBJ now reports that interest is at an end. DAZN may be the RSN company’s last hope at having a future past the conclusion of the current NBA and NHL seasons.
DAZN
DAZN is an international sports streaming service dedicated to live and on-demand sports programming. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has expanded to become one of the world’s leading sports streaming destinations, offering coverage that varies by region and includes boxing, soccer, MMA, women’s sports, motorsports, and other major competitions.