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A group of regional sports networks is set to wind down, marking the demise of a once lucrative business and leaving the fate of local baseball, basketball and hockey broadcasts in the balance — even as live sports command the highest TV ratings.
RSNs have felt arguably the greatest pressure from the losses that plague the pay TV bundle as consumers switch to streaming. Now, the model is in rapid decline.
Last week, as the 2026 MLB season got underway, the league announced it was taking over media distribution for 14 teams. In large part, this was the result of the inevitable wind down of Main Street Sports – formerly Fox Sports networks, which have been through different owners since 2019 and several name changes since 2021.
Main Street emerged from bankruptcy protection in late 2024, and despite touting subscriber growth as recently as last spring, the operator faced another liquidity crunch earlier this year when MLB rights payments were due, according to people familiar with the matter.
