Six Major League Baseball teams—the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays—have announced that Major League Baseball will produce and distribute their local television broadcasts for the 2026 season.
This move follows the teams (along with the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Angels) terminating agreements with Main Street Sports Group, operator of the FanDuel Sports Network regional stations, after missed rights payments. The Braves, Tigers, and Angels have not yet finalized their 2026 coverage plans, though the Braves indicated preparations for a new broadcasting era independent of Main Street.
MLB's expanding role: MLB will now handle broadcasts for at least 13 teams in 2026, including recent offseason additions like the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners. The league has previously taken over for teams such as the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks (2023), Colorado Rockies (2024), and Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins (last season). MLB promotes this approach for broader reach via local cable, satellite, and direct-to-consumer streaming on the MLB app.
Background on the RSN instability: The shift stems from ongoing financial troubles in regional sports networks. Diamond Sports Group, former owner of Bally Sports networks carrying 42 pro teams (including 14 MLB), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2023.
Main Street Sports Group emerged from that process in March 2025, rebranding to FanDuel Sports Network, but now faces near-insolvency without new investors or a majority owner. Main Street holds rights to 20 teams (13 NBA, 7 NHL) and has committed to carrying those games through the regular season, though contingency plans are in place across leagues if it collapses.
A Main Street spokesperson stated the company continues NBA and NHL broadcasts, appreciates discussions with the leagues, and wishes MLB partners well after long relationships.
League perspective: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized last month maximizing club revenue amid evolving local media economics, noting teams' flexibility to shift to MLB Media given payroll commitments and the need for quality fan access. Local media still accounts for over 20% of industry revenue, but traditional cable bundles face challenges.
Brewers President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger echoed this adaptation: “The local media landscape is evolving very quickly... We’re adapting to it. There’s going to be a local game element to baseball... I feel good about the future, even though I can’t predict where it’s actually going to land and when it’s going to land.”