The uncertainty surrounding regional sports networks and the NBA isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, it may be getting louder.
According to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal, Main Street Sports Group is now in discussions with a second potential buyer as its proposed sale to DAZN remains shaky. One possible fallback option, per the report, is Fubo, though no deal has been confirmed.
What has been confirmed is this: Main Street recently missed January rights-fee payments to some or all of the 13 NBA teams whose games air on FanDuel Sports Network. That alone has league and team executives paying close attention.
Friend reports that Main Street and DAZN had pushed NBA and NHL teams to extend their current RSN agreements through the 2028–29 season, with expanded digital rights included. The leagues and teams declined.
Instead, Main Street has pivoted to a different ask, one that’s unlikely to be any more popular.
The company is seeking a roughly 20 percent reduction in rights fees for the remainder of this season, along with permission to defer those already reduced payments. In short, teams would get less money now and wait longer for it.
None of this is sitting well with the leagues, which have been trying to stabilize local broadcasts after years of RSN turmoil. Missing payments, renegotiation attempts, and uncertain ownership are not part of that plan.
Either way, behind the scenes, the RSN model continues to wobble, and the NBA knows it may be forced into tougher decisions sooner rather than later.
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