Nine MLB teams offered hybrid deals that include revenue sharing
Contracts are dependent on FanDuel Sports Network finding a buyer
Washington National games to be distributed by MLB’s in-house media operation

FanDuel Sports Network owner Main Steet Sports has reportedly made new three-year deals to nine Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that ended their agreements with the regional sports network (RSN) operator last week.

Main Street’s MLB portfolio included the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

However, the company, which was previously known as Diamond Sports Group (DSG), continues to face financial issues despite emerging from a two-year bankruptcy period at the start of 2025 and missed scheduled payments to the nine MLB teams earlier this month.

but until a deal is concluded, the firm is seeking to find a solution that both eases its cashflow situation and makes it attractive to potential suitors.

According to The Athletic, Main Street is offering revised three-year deals that promise both guaranteed payment and revenue sharing components. The proposals are reportedly dependent on Main Street being sold and would allow the company to defer payments until later this year. DAZN was believed to have be in advanced discussions to acquire Main Street but a takeover is unlikely to go ahead.

However Main Street hopes this ‘hybrid’ model will prove attractive to teams that still want the certainty of fixed payments that a traditional media rights agreement provides. Teams who reject the offer would have to find an alternative home for their local rights without the same guarantees.

Other teams which have either been ditched by Main Street in the past, or left of their own accord, have explored a range of options for their local rights, including launching their own RSN or DTC service or taking games free-to-air (FTA).

This allows them to monetise rights not just through direct payments but also through subscription and advertising sales as well as through increased sponsorship, ticketing and merchandise sales that result from increased exposure.

One option is to broadcast local games via MLB itself, an option that has been taken up by several teams. MLB distributes in-market matchups for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners via cable, satellite and DTC.

The latest MLB team to take MLB up on its offer are the Washington Nationals, which resolved their long-running local broadcast dispute last year. Nationals games had been broadcast on the Orioles-controlled Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) since they relocated to the US capital in 2005 as part of a settlement to ease Baltimore’s concerns about a rival team moving so close to its home market. However, the Nationals have now exercised their option to extricate themselves from the arrangement in time for the 2026 season.

MLB has made no secret that it is keen to centralise as many rights as it can in order to increase the value of its media deals. As per the terms of its revamped deal with ESPN, the Disney-owned sports broadcaster will offer out-of-market games via MLB.TV, which will be available as a bundle with a standard subscription or a premium add-on. ESPN will also offer the ability to purchase in-market games that are produced and distributed by the league .

The Disney-owned broadcaster will also air 150 out-of-market games each season via its digital platforms and acquires a national 30-game package that will also be available on ESPN’s linear channels.

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