Bally Sports and MSG RSN Are Reportedly Preparing For Bankruptcy

[Bruce]

More info, Main Street missed NBA team payments, DAZN deal is doubtful, teams do not want to take less in a new rights deal-

FanDuel Sports Networks miss rights payments to NBA teams, DAZN deal in serious doubt

FanDuel Sports Networks reportedly missed rights payments to some or all of the 13 NBA teams currently under contract with Main Street Sports.

awfulannouncing.com

 

[comfortably_numb]

Teams don't want to take less, yet right now they're getting nothing. Make it make sense!

 

[savarese04]

Teams don't want to take less, yet right now they're getting nothing. Make it make sense!

i think they want it to collapse at this point. they know the future model is some combination of NBA-wide packaged local rights + OTA. Time to bite the bullet now rather than deal with the constant uncertainty of the last 2 years?

 

[zippyfrog]

i think they want it to collapse at this point. they know the future model is some combination of NBA-wide packaged local rights + OTA. Time to bite the bullet now rather than deal with the constant uncertainty of the last 2 years?

I think the key here is the NBA. When you have a national deal that goes to $6.9 billion per year up from $2.6 billion - there is more money there per team. Assuming it is divded evenly, you are looking at north of $200 million per team as opposed to $85 million per team under the old deal. We don't know how much each team gets from RSN's, but it was reported that the Phoenix Suns got around $40 million. They are getting so much more money from the national deal, it is all good for them.

MLB or the NHL are different stories...the current NHL National deal is $4.2 billion over 7 years - $630 million per year for the entire league. MLB is about $1.75 billion annually with ESPN, NBC, FOX, TBS, Netflix, and Apple for the next 3 years. Far away from what the NBA gets from their national deals.

 

[navychop]

How much can I make as a numbers runner? Seems to be a more respectable occupation.

 

[cpalmer2k]

Teams don't want to take less, yet right now they're getting nothing. Make it make sense!

That's the part I don't understand about the groups refusing to negotiate carriage deals with Dish, YTTV, and others who have dropped them. They elected to play hardball and ended up walking away with nothing. If they'd negotiated a fair deal to be on the base tier of Dish, YTTV and others they'd be in a much better position financially.

 

[Bruce]

That's the part I don't understand about the groups refusing to negotiate carriage deals with Dish, YTTV, and others who have dropped them. They elected to play hardball and ended up walking away with nothing. If they'd negotiated a fair deal to be on the base tier of Dish, YTTV and others they'd be in a much better position financially.

Most of the deals (contracts) they have with providers are called Favored Nation Contracts.

For example, if they signed a deal with YTTV for $5 per sub fees, then DirecTV is paying $9 per sub fees, that means DirecTV can say "if YTTV is paying less, then per the contract, they reduce it , to what YTTV is paying.

 

[cpalmer2k]

Most of the deals (contracts) they have with providers are called Favored Nation Contracts.

For example, if they signed a deal with YTTV for $5 per sub fees, then DirecTV is paying $9 per sub fees, that means DirecTV can say "if YTTV is paying less, then per the contract, they reduce it , to what YTTV is paying.

I get that, but given their financial problems it seems like even giving everyone the $5 deal to keep millions of subscribers would have been a better long term financial decision.

 

[savarese04]

I get that, but given their financial problems it seems like even giving everyone the $5 deal to keep millions of subscribers would have been a better long term financial decision.

not really - there's just not enough subscribers out there anymore. the entire pool of available subscribers is less than half of what it was 10 years ago. if they reverted the rights fees and subscriber fees back to 2015 levels, they couldn't survive because the reach today is much lower

 

[Bruce]

From Cord Cutters and the NY Times-

Main Street Sports Group, the financially troubled operator of the FanDuel Sports Network regional sports channels, is attempting to re-negotiate what it pays 29 partner teams across MLB, NBA and NHL. People briefed on the company's finances who were not authorized to speak publicly said Main Street lost approximately $200 million in 2025 across its portfolio, which includes baseball's Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

Even if they ( or DAZN) are able to get the rights fees down, the losses will continue, because the providers that are losing the most subscribers, are the ones (DirecTV, Comcast, Charter) carrying the RSNs.

Nine MLB teams’ TV money in jeopardy as FanDuel networks continue to struggle

The troubled broadcaster is trying to renegotiate its payments to nine MLB teams, and recently missed a payment to the St. Louis Cardinals.

www.nytimes.com

FanDuel is Reportedly Struggling to Pay MLB Teams, TV Rights Are Up in the Air | Cord Cutters News

Reports have been coming out for weeks about FanDuel Sports Network, one of the largest regional sports network (RSN) operators, being under financial pressure and at risk of shutting down. Today, a new report from The Athletic says that the company is struggling to give MLB teams the money they...

cordcuttersnews.com

 

[b4pjoe]

From Cord Cutters and the NY Times-

Main Street Sports Group, the financially troubled operator of the FanDuel Sports Network regional sports channels, is attempting to re-negotiate what it pays 29 partner teams across MLB, NBA and NHL. People briefed on the company's finances who were not authorized to speak publicly said Main Street lost approximately $200 million in 2025 across its portfolio, which includes baseball's Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.

Even if they ( or DAZN) are able to get the rights fees down, the losses will continue, because the providers that are losing the most subscribers, are the ones (DirecTV, Comcast, Charter) carrying the RSNs.

Nine MLB teams’ TV money in jeopardy as FanDuel networks continue to struggle

The troubled broadcaster is trying to renegotiate its payments to nine MLB teams, and recently missed a payment to the St. Louis Cardinals.

www.nytimes.com

FanDuel is Reportedly Struggling to Pay MLB Teams, TV Rights Are Up in the Air | Cord Cutters News

Reports have been coming out for weeks about FanDuel Sports Network, one of the largest regional sports network (RSN) operators, being under financial pressure and at risk of shutting down. Today, a new report from The Athletic says that the company is struggling to give MLB teams the money they...

cordcuttersnews.com

It is mind boggling how management in American corporations can't grasp that if you spend more money than you bring in there are going to be problems down the road. That is only allowed in government!

 

[zippyfrog]

I am still shocked that when the bankruptcy proceeding were ongoing for over a year that the judge OK'd the plan to emerge from bankruptcy instead of having it go through last year - to me it seemed like it was going to fail to begin with.

 

[Bruce]

I am still shocked that when the bankruptcy proceeding were ongoing for over a year that the judge OK'd the plan to emerge from bankruptcy instead of having it go through last year - to me it seemed like it was going to fail to begin with.

I posted that earlier in this thread, when they came out of Chapter 11, but I thought it would be about 2 years before totally going out of business.

Amazing how quick this has happened, in 2018, Cable/Satellite had about 100 Million subscribers, almost all of them received the RSNs, today, only 45 Million, but only about 25-30 Million receive the RSNs.

That is thanks to Comcast and Charter putting them in a higher tier, DirecTV's cheaper options ( no RSNs), Dish not carrying them, etc, etc.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Let it burn.

 

[Jimbo]

Let it burn.

The sooner they are out of business, the better.