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More headaches could be on the horizon for the floundering regional-sports network industry, and Detroit’s three professional teams that air on FanDuel Sports Network have been preparing for the worst-case scenario.

Sports Business Journal reported Sunday that Main Street Sports Group, the parent company that owns the FanDuel stable of RSNs and holds the game broadcast rights for 30 professional teams, including the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons, could shut down in a matter of days at worst and months at best, if a previously reported sale to London-based streamer DAZN doesn’t go through by the end of the year.

DAZN recently entered into negotiations to buy a majority stake in Main Street Sports, which previously was known as Diamond Sports Group, and emerged from bankruptcy in January 2025. While it was able to shed significant debt in bankruptcy court, finances remain an issue. Sports Business Journal reported it just missed a monthly rights payment to MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals, often the first sign of trouble in the RSN sphere.

It’s unclear if Main Street Sports is up to date with the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons on rights payments, which are for undisclosed amounts ― but are known to already have been significantly reduced post-bankruptcy.

Representatives for the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons declined to comment on the future of Main Street Sports.

A spokesperson for Main Street Sports Group said in a statement to The News: “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.”

The RSN industry, once flush with cash not even a decade ago, has declined dramatically in recent years as more sports fans pivot away from traditional cable, and toward streaming. RSN streaming efforts have been enhanced, as evidenced by the growing subscriber base for the FanDuel Sports Network stable (there are a record 90,000 streaming subscribers in Metro Detroit), and Main Street’s recent partnership with Amazon Prime.

But, clearly, the pivot hasn’t provided the profits Main Street Sports had hoped, back when it was known as Diamond Sports Group and was embroiled in bankruptcy court for nearly two years.

According to SBJ, if the DAZN negotiations fall apart, Main Street Sports has no plans for a second run through bankruptcy, and would look to shut down the entire business by the end of the NBA and NHL seasons this spring. It could be out of the game before the start of baseball season.

It’s also possible Main Street Sports could go dark in the middle of the NBA and NHL seasons, per SBJ.

DAZN is a popular streamer overseas, particularly in Europe and Japan, with a heavy emphasis on international favorites like soccer, combat sports and others. It sees a potential purchase of Main Street Sports, per the Wall Street Journal, as a key entry point into the United States market. This summer, DAZN reached a deal with the NHL to become the official international streamer of its games in nearly 200 countries, excluding the U.S. The streamer also holds rights for LIV Golf, and airs American college football and basketball games overseas.

If this reported DAZN deal to become majority owner of Main Street Sprots goes through, that would likely keep the RSNs on traditional cable and streaming in the United States, at least for the foreseeable future.

The Tigers and Red Wings, owned by the Ilitch family, and the Pistons, owned by Tom Gores, have been known to be working contingency plans should the RSN industry completely crumble. The Tigers and Red Wings have taken more control over their game broadcasts, as well as pregame and postgame shows, in recent years, even hiring several on-air personalities as direct employees of the teams, instead of the old model, when they were largely employees of the RSNs. This new flow chart includes Tigers play-by-play man Jason Benetti.

In 2025, the Tigers simulcast 10 regular-season games on over-the-air TV, locally on Fox 2, and the Red Wings recently announced they would simulcast four regular-season games, locally on Fox 2 and throughout the state. The Pistons have yet to dabble into over-the-air, but they are known to be considering offering that at some point during this season, as well. Over-the-air hasn’t been the prominent broadcast of local sports in Detroit since PASS arrived on the scene in the 1980s. And it’s not clear if going to over-the-air full-time is a realistic option. That could be more of a Band-Aid, and less of a life saver.

Over-the-air rights fees still pale in comparison to RSN rights fees, at least when those fees are up to date. It’s unknown what the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons view as a full-time solution should the RSN industry go completely belly-up. Shifting to MLB TV, NHL.TV and NBA League Pass might have to be the move.

In 2018, the Ilitch family went public with its interest in launching its own regional-sports network, like the New York Yankees have with the YES Network, but little has been said about those plans in the last six-plus years. Running RSNs are expensive enough; starting one from the ground up carries an astronomical cost.

News of the potential demise of FanDuel Sports Network (previously Bally Sports, and before that Fox Sports) comes as linear-television and streaming ratings have been soaring recently on FSDN Detroit for the Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers, as all three teams have become competitive.

The RSNs don’t own the rights for the Lions or the NFL; that league is under a national broadcast umbrella.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984