A trio of MLB clubs is opting in to at least one more season with FanDuel Sports Network.
Main Street Sports Group, the owner of the FanDuel-branded regional sports channels, announced on Wednesday that the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers have all exercised options in their local media rights agreements to renew with FanDuel Sports Network.
Neither the financial terms nor the length of the extensions were announced. Still, teams have generally negotiated short-term deals with FanDuel Sports Network to maintain flexibility as MLB eyes a more nationalized local rights solution in the coming years.
In the interim, remaining on traditional regional sports networks has generally proven more lucrative than the alternative, which is typically a combination of free, over-the-air broadcast and subscription streaming. However, even teams that have chosen to remain on traditional regional sports networks have often been forced to take reduced rights fees as cord-cutting accelerates.
The extensions, Main Street suggests, create stability for fans. Rather than forcing viewers to adapt to a new platform before MLB figures out its league-wide solution, teams are content with the status quo.
“These renewals reflect the confidence in what Main Street Sports Group set out to build: a local, innovative, fan-first multi-platform business that helps teams grow their audience while ensuring clarity and consistency for their fans,” Main Street Sports Group president David DeVoe said in a press release.
Last season, nine MLB teams aired on FanDuel Sports Networks: the Braves, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals, Rays, and Reds. It’s unclear whether Main Street will need to negotiate extensions with the six remaining teams during the offseason, or if any clubs will choose to exit their current contracts.