What Braves’ cancellation of FanDuel TV contract means for fans

New Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner has something in common with millions of Braves fans — as a youth in Oklahoma, he grew up watching the team on TBS.

“I wouldn’t fancy myself a Braves fan as a kid, but found myself constantly watching them,” Hefner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in December.

Followers of the team were reminded again this week that things aren’t like they used to be, as the Braves were one of nine MLB teams to cancel their contracts with FanDuel Sports Network, according to multiple reports.

It was the latest aggravation to rankle fans in their attempts to watch their favorite team, the most recent because of the financial storms that are sinking regional sports networks.

The Braves and the other eight teams canceled their contracts this week to offer themselves more flexibility should Main Street Sports Group — the parent company of FanDuel Sports Network that was previously known as Diamond Sports Group — reenters bankruptcy. (In a surprise, renaming the company failed to cause a surge in revenues.)

Despite that seemingly ominous development, it is a virtual certainty that Braves games will be available for fans through one accessible outlet or another.

“No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told The Associated Press on Thursday.

And, perhaps equally comforting to Braves fans, the broadcast team should remain in place. In a video on X (formerly Twitter), analyst C.J. Nitkowski said: “There’s no anticipation that anything is going to change. It’s a matter of where those games are ultimately going to be on television.”

The two most likely outcomes are the Braves will renegotiate their deal with Main Street or they will align themselves with MLB’s TV arm.

With a loyal fan base spread across, the country, the Braves are a valuable property for Main Street.

Last year, after the team renegotiated its rights agreement with FanDuel SN, the broadcast revenue increased from $71 million to $81 million, as the network began to sell streaming subscriptions. The bump was surely indicative of the Braves’ profitability for Main Street.

So getting back onboard with the Braves could be critical to Main Street, which is simultaneously in negotiations to sell itself to sports network DAZN, according to multiple reports.

The other possibility would be for the Braves to partner with MLB. In that case, MLB would be responsible for producing Braves games and would negotiate with cable companies to broadcast games on a channel that would carry only the games (and pre- and postgame shows).

In-market fans who don’t have cable could also pay for a direct-to-consumer subscription to stream games, similar to what was available through FanDuel SN last season.

There are other possibilities, such as the team partnering with a local over-the-air channel to distribute its games (as it did on a limited basis with Gray Media last season).

But the likely choices are either re-upping with FanDuel SN or going under the MLB umbrella. At this point, neither would be a surprise for the upcoming season.

The choice for the Braves is likely a matter of weighing risk and revenue. FanDuel SN would probably be more lucrative for the team, but the network’s future is decidedly uncertain. MLB isn’t going anywhere, but the broadcast revenues might not match what Main Street could offer.