NBA Tells 13 Clubs to Seek New Local TV Partners for 2026-27
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NEW YORK — The NBA has authorized 13 franchises to negotiate fresh in-market media agreements for the 2026-27 campaign after their current broadcaster, Main Street Sports Group, confirmed plans to cease operations when the regular season ends on April 12.
Main Street — formerly Diamond Sports Group — operates FanDuel Sports Network, which carries local telecasts for the Thunder, Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies and Bucks. The company is heading toward insolvency and will stop airing games for those clubs once the season concludes, a spokesperson told Sports Business Journal.
FanDuel Sports Network has separate agreements with both the NBA and NHL to continue coverage through the conclusion of the 2026 NBA regular season and the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs. “We are preparing to wind down our operations upon season’s end unless we reach a strategic transaction,” the spokesperson said, adding that the outlet is “pleased to finish out the NBA and NHL seasons.”
The shutdown leaves nearly half the league without local broadcast contracts for next year. According to multiple league sources, affected teams may pivot to over-the-air stations, streaming platforms or a combination of both. The NBA has urged clubs to sign only one-year deals — or include a one-season opt-out — so they can eventually migrate to the league’s planned direct-to-consumer streaming hub.
That league-run service was not discussed at the March Board of Governors meetings and is not expected before at least the 2027-28 season. In the interim, DAZN has been courting the 13 franchises for both individual rights and the potential national streaming project. Amazon, YouTube TV and the ESPN app are also viewed as possible bidders.
On the local front, streaming-only providers such as Victory+, ViewLift (operator of Altitude in Denver and Monumental in Washington) and Kiswe (partnered with the Jazz) are competing for team-specific agreements.
Main Street has not issued any rights-fee payments to the 13 teams in 2026. Sources said each club could recover up to 60 percent of those lost revenues once dissolution terms are finalized with the league and the broadcaster. The missing payments lowered the NBA’s preliminary 2026-27 salary-cap projection by $1 million; that figure could rise if a portion of the money is recouped.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment chief executive officer Mel Raines confirmed Indiana is already canvassing the market. “We’re throwing a very wide net and looking to both potential over-the-air partners and direct-to-consumer partners and looking at every possible option to reach as many of our fans as we can next season over local television,” Raines told The Indianapolis Star.
Source: Hoops Rumors
