Bally Sports and MSG RSN Are Reportedly Preparing For Bankruptcy

[Bruce]

What a deal they are offering! 50-50 profit share of no profit at all.

Definitely no profit, since they are currently losing $200 Million a year, along with the fact they will lose, at least, another 3-4 Million per sub fees in 2026, the same in 2027, due to cord cutting, I expect the losses to continue and increase.

 

[Bruce]

The end of MASN?

The Washington Nationals are leaving MASN. MLB will produce their TV broadcasts

This could have ramifications for other teams.

www.bleedcubbieblue.com

 

[Nate.O’Brien]

Well this could be the end for Main Street Sports pretty soon. We only have two days until February

FanDuel RSNs on the verge of collapse with Main Street Sports liquidation looming

The FanDuel RSNs may go extinct soon as Main Street Sports Group approaches a decision to liquidate the company.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[comfortably_numb]

Well this could be the end for Main Street Sports pretty soon. We only have two days February

 

[MrMars]

MLB and Main Street Media / Fanduel are officially done.


View: https://x.com/tomfriendwriter/status/2018389638663303566?s=46

All nine MLB teams officially leaving Main Street; NBA and NHL in holding pattern

All nine MLB teams whose games are broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network are officially departing the parent company Main Street Sports Group, with eight of the nine expected to migrate to MLB Media.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

The NBA/NHL situation is expected to be resolved within two weeks. Guessing if they will be moving this season they don't want to do it before the NBA All Star Weekend so they have some time to announce things. NHL will be in the Olympic break at the same time too.

 

[comfortably_numb]

$100 for the whole season or $19.99 / month

Cardinals games will be produced, distributed by MLB in 2026

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday that Major League Baseball will produce and distribute all in-market St. Louis Cardinals games for the 2026 season. Fans will be able to watch games on traditional cable and satellite providers as well as through Cardinals.TV, the MLB...

www.mlb.com

 

[Bruce]

I am still amazed this has happened so fast after coming out of Chapter 11.

But it is easily understandable why, there are only 3 major providers carrying RSNs, DirecTV, Charter/Spectrum and Comcast.

So, out of those and a few other smaller providers, RSNs are only receiving about 25-30 Million (subscribers) per sub fees, thanks to those providers having skinny bundles ( no RSNs) and all the other providers (YTTV is the biggest) not carrying the RSNs.

In 2017, about 100 Million subscribers were paying that fee.

So I expect more will go belly up quite soon, including the big markets (NY/LA), those areas are affected by the same cord cutting phenomenon as the rest of the United States, along with having higher costs due to those teams commanding higher rights fees, but not enough subscribers paying for the product.

 

[comfortably_numb]

All of this is music to my ears. This is a much needed "right-sizing" of a bloated industry- MLB. Maybe this will be the catalyst for salary caps which will even the playing field (no pun intended) for MLB teams. Sick of the same large TV market teams getting the best players and advantages over smaller teams. It needs to end. Looks like it finally is.

 

[savarese04]

Put a fork in it, finally.

 

[cpalmer2k]

The Braves launching their own network is surprising. They're not exactly in a huge media market, but they pretty much have most of Georgia and the Carolinas to themselves so it may work.


View: https://x.com/Braves/status/2018426707548447002?s=20

 

[ranmic]

The Braves launching their own network is surprising. They're not exactly in a huge media market, but they pretty much have most of Georgia and the Carolinas to themselves so it may work.


View: https://x.com/Braves/status/2018426707548447002?s=20

Not trying to be a smarta$$, but how do you get out of their message that they're starting their own network? Don't get me wrong, I'd love that, just not sure that's their intent. Lastly, I'm sure someone like myself living in GA, but not near ATL will still get screwed over by blackouts regardless of what they decide.

 

[MrMars]

Not trying to be a smarta$$, but how do you get out of their message that they're starting their own network? Don't get me wrong, I'd love that, just not sure that's their intent. Lastly, I'm sure someone like myself living in GA, but not near ATL will still get screwed over by blackouts regardless of what they decide.

It has been widely reported that it is happening by media insiders. Most are behind a paywall but this article is free:

Braves expected to launch own network after Main Street Sports exit

The Braves are expected to launch their own network, as all nine MLB teams officially leave Main Street Sports.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[comfortably_numb]

Lastly, I'm sure someone like myself living in GA, but not near ATL will still get screwed over by blackouts regardless of what they decide.

I don't think that's true, I think they will offer in-market streaming like the other teams that bailed for production under MLB.

 

[Bruce]

Just read this about MLB teams' revenues-

Now, revenues can fluctuate and, in nearly all cases, will decline. For example, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals' deal with MLB would see local broadcast revenue expected to be between $18 million and $20 million compared with last year, when the club "expected around" $58 million. While MLB initially backstopped clubs' revenue shortfalls from the then-Diamond Sports Group to ensure they met their expected local media rights revenues, it is no longer doing so. For the Cardinals, that means they could see a decline of up to 69% compared to 2025.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2026/02/03/as-nine-more-mlb-teams-leave-fanduel-networks-their-revenues-likely-decline/

The one thing the article does not point out, revenue might (will) be less, if they agreed to the new profit sharing deal Main St. Sports was offering, as cord cutting continues, the chance of profits definitely diminishes very quickly, since the providers losing the most subscribers (Comcast, Charter and DirecTV) are the ones that carries the RSNs..

YTTV has proven providers do not need the RSNs, specially since it is now over 11 Million subscribers, about to surpass Comcast and become the #2 Provider.

 

[ranmic]

I don't think that's true, I think they will offer in-market streaming like the other teams that bailed for production under MLB.

I hope you're right.

 

[ranmic]

It has been widely reported that it is happening by media insiders. Most are behind a paywall but this article is free:

Braves expected to launch own network after Main Street Sports exit

The Braves are expected to launch their own network, as all nine MLB teams officially leave Main Street Sports.

awfulannouncing.com

I did some digging last night and saw some of this. I sure hope they can pull it off. Makes sense as they have a strong fan base across the South that should be able to support it.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Just read this about MLB teams' revenues-

Now, revenues can fluctuate and, in nearly all cases, will decline. For example, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals' deal with MLB would see local broadcast revenue expected to be between $18 million and $20 million compared with last year, when the club "expected around" $58 million. While MLB initially backstopped clubs' revenue shortfalls from the then-Diamond Sports Group to ensure they met their expected local media rights revenues, it is no longer doing so. For the Cardinals, that means they could see a decline of up to 69% compared to 2025.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2026/02/03/as-nine-more-mlb-teams-leave-fanduel-networks-their-revenues-likely-decline/

The one thing the article does not point out, revenue might (will) be less, if they agreed to the new profit sharing deal Main St. Sports was offering, as cord cutting continues, the chance of profits definitely diminishes very quickly, since the providers losing the most subscribers (Comcast, Charter and DirecTV) are the ones that carries the RSNs..

YTTV has proven providers do not need the RSNs, specially since it is now over 11 Million subscribers, about to surpass Comcast and become the #2 Provider.

Salary caps!
Salary caps!
Salary caps!

 

[cpalmer2k]

Salary caps!
Salary caps!
Salary caps!

I think this is inevitable at some point in the future. Either that, or they're going to have to increase the luxury tax and share the revenue from the luxury tax payments with the teams that play by the rules and stay under the current limits.

 

[cpalmer2k]

I did some digging last night and saw some of this. I sure hope they can pull it off. Makes sense as they have a strong fan base across the South that should be able to support it.

It all depends on their approach with providers. If they set reasonable rates and can get carriage on all the providers it may be a win for fans. I would love to see them do something like what YES did when they first started with the Yankees. They can do games, pregame, and postgame of course. But, I hope they tap into the old TBS Archives and we get to see "Braves Classics". That would be a goldmine. Especially the games from the America's Team era of the early 1990's.

 

[savarese04]

I think this is inevitable at some point in the future. Either that, or they're going to have to increase the luxury tax and share the revenue from the luxury tax payments with the teams that play by the rules and stay under the current limits.

even the teams paying the tax can only do so for so much longer. while the small market RSNs were the first to fall, don't think the big market ones like LA Sportsnet can keep going. There's no path in which LA Sportsnet can afford $335m/year payments to the Dodgers