The Detroit Tigers are officially splitting with FanDuel Sports Network, and the Detroit Red Wings will follow soon after.
As announced by Ilitch Sports and Entertainment (IS+E) on Monday, Feb. 9, Major League Baseball will take control of the production, broadcast and distribution of Tigers television broadcasts for the 2026 season. The deal will also bring Red Wings broadcasts under MLB control starting in the 2026-27 season, in what IS+E (who owns the Tigers and Red Wings) called a “first of its kind partnership.”
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Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal first reported the Tigers’ move to MLB Media on Feb. 2, as the nine MLB teams remaining under the FanDuel Sports Network broadcasting umbrella all decided to end their contracts with Main Street Sports Group, who operates the FanDuel networks.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich gets a lift from Bill Freehan after the two took part in the ceremonial first pitch at the Tiger opener against Tampa. Kirthmon F. Dozier 4/7/98
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich gets a lift from Bill Freehan after the two took part in the ceremonial first pitch at the Tiger opener against Tampa. Kirthmon F. Dozier 4/7/98
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
It was a day to remember for the Lolichs, from left: Steve Lolich, dad of pitcher, who is holding the daughter, Kimberly Ann: Mrs, Lolich, and her mother.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich signs autographs for fans at Tiger Stadium while Tony Grace, 16, of Southgate, waits to throw out the opening pitch during a celebration for the 68 Tigers team.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich delivers a pitch during the 1969 season at an unknown location.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1972 season at Tiger Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action on the mound.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action against the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium in August 1969.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1971 season at Tiger Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1969 season at Tiger Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich (29) delivers a pitch during the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action on the mound during the 1969 season.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Lolich won 3 games during the 1968 world series.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1968 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in game 5 of the 1968 World Series at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals 4 games to 3.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action on the mound.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich in action during the 1971 season at Tiger Stadium.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich, center, with other members of the 1968 champion Detroit Tigers.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
The Detroit Free Press sports front dated Friday, Oct. 11, 1968. The headline, “Tigers On Top of World! …Lolich Beats Gibson.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Former Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich stands on the mound at Tiger Stadium to throw out the season’s first pitch April 7, 1998.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich writes his name after casting his hands in cement for the Detroit Historical Museum’s Legends Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich, his wife and daughter.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich with Gates Brown.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers pitcher, was called to active duty for the Michigan Air National Guard during the 1967 riots in Detroit.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich in the Detroit Tigers locker room.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich bats for the Detroit Tigers. He hit a home run in Game 2 of the 1968 World Series off right-handed pitcher Nelson Briles in an 8-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich gets a victory embrace from his daughter, Kimberly.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Tigers teammates Dick McAuliffe, Mickey Lolich, center and George Thomas.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Detroit Tigers 1968 World Series team poses for a team picture on the field after pregame ceremonies at Comerica Park in Detroit, June 24, 2008, honoring the 40th anniversary. Back row, left to right: Dick Tracewski, Denny McLain, Dick McAuliffe, Mickey Stanley, Mickey Lolich, Gates Brown, Willie Horton, Jon Worden, Jim Price. Front row, left to right: Darryl Patterson, Don Went, Hal Naragon (coach), Bill Freehan, John Hiller, Tom Matchick and Al Kaline.
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Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers great left-hander from 1968 world champs
Mickey Lolich on the mound for the Detroit Tigers.
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IS+E says that fans will be able to watch Tigers and Red Wings games on direct-to-consumer streaming subscriptions and through “the same options that have been recently available” on cable and satellite packages, with information about those options coming at a later date. Red Wings games will continue to air locally on FanDuel Sports Network through the end of the 2025-26 regular season.
“Given recent uncertainty throughout the regional sports broadcasting industry, we recognize the importance of providing fans with a consistent, year-round outlet to watch Tigers baseball and Red Wings hockey,” IS+E president Ryan Gustafson said in the statement.
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The move comes as the landscape of local baseball broadcasts continues to shift dramatically, with MLB Media now controlling the broadcasting rights of 14 MLB teams including the Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins. Main Street has missed payments to many of its NBA partners, as well, as all MLB teams previously partnered with Main Street have all fled in the past two seasons.
Two teams partnered with Main Street in 2025, the Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves, are considering launching their own broadcasting networks per SBJ.
While the Tigers don’t yet have details about pricing, app availability and streaming offerings for their new partnership in 2026, they intend to offer a single subscription for fans to watch the team year-round.
Detroit Tigers TV announcers Jason Benetti and Dan Petry call a game against the Houston Astros at Comerica Park in Detroit on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
Though MLB Media is now taking over Tigers games, many familiar faces and voices from 2025 should remain the same, with IS+E announcing that play-by-play commentators Jason Benetti and Dan Dickerson and color commentators Andy Dirks and Dan Petry are expected to return to their positions for the 2026 season.
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Additionally, legendary Red Wings broadcasters Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond are expected to continue in their current roles under the new partnership, according to IS+E.
“We have two of the top-rated broadcasts in our respective sports and remain focused on listening to fans about what matters most to them,” said Gustafson. “What we’ve heard includes making sure our games are available throughout the market, providing a reliable streaming product, and producing a broadcast that’s informative and entertaining in all the right ways.”
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers TV channel, streaming moves for 2026; Red Wings, too