MLB to distribute local games from 6 teams
MLB to distribute local games from 6 teams
The half-dozen clubs were previously partnered with Main Street Sports Group, which did not line up financing in time to keep the clubs for 2026.
Six more MLB teams are officially saying “we’re out” to Main Street Sports Group. For the 2026 season, these clubs will have their local games produced and distributed by the league itself, as Main Street could not secure the financing needed at the eleventh hour to keep them in the fold. The future for the regional sports network (RSN) owner is increasingly bleak, and operations could wind down soon.
Key Details:
- Sayonara, you six: An additional six teams will be distributed by MLB this season.
- Not sure yet: Three more teams that were on FanDuel channels in 2025 are still mulling options.
- End of the line?: Main Street Sports Group may be facing the end of operations.
The Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays all have signaled their intention to have local games produced and distributed by the league itself, instead of going forward on FanDuel Sports Network channels this year. MLB will offer the games to customers through special, in-market packages of the MLB.TV streaming service.
Three other teams that had been partnered with Main Street last season — the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Angels — are still making up their minds about where to distribute local games during the upcoming season. The sports streaming platform Victory+ has reportedly been in contact with teams facing the end of their relationship with Main Street Sports Group about their local rights, and these baseball teams may be strongly considering joining that platform.
The nine MLB clubs whose local games were distributed by Main Street last season recently gave the company an ultimatum: come up with financing to cover rights fee payments for 2026 by the end of January, or the relationship would end. Main Street spent weeks seeking out a potential merger partner such as DAZN or Fubo, apparently to no avail.
A purchase by DAZN now looks all but impossible for Main Street, as that company was primarily interested in acquiring Main Street for its MLB rights. It’s hard to see a path out of the financial spiral Main Street is in; the company has also missed rights payments to NBA and NHL partner teams, and has asked those teams to accept smaller rights fee payments on a deferred schedule going forward.
Unless a miracle occurs, it appears Main Street may have to stop operations before the 2026 MLB season gets underway. Fans of the six teams who are now to be distributed on MLB.TV can expect to pay around $20 per month for a plan that lets them stream their team’s non-national games.
MLB.TV
MLB.TV is the official streaming service of Major League Baseball. You can see every out-of-market game live or on-demand and choose home or away TV and radio feeds. The app allows fans to watch up to four games simultaneously on the same screen through its Multi-view feature. MLB.TV can be added to your Sling TV or Prime Video subscription.