Will DIRECTV Still Carry MLB Teams No Longer On FanDuel Sports?
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!
TV Answer Man, I read your article today about the MLB teams leaving FanDuel Sports. As a DIRECTV subscriber, will I still be able to watch the games? – Kim, Cincinnati.
Kim, I can understand your anxiety. The Associated Press reports that all nine MLB teams that were on the FanDuel Sports Network in 2025 have decided to opt out of their agreements for the 2026 season.
The reason: Main Street Sports Group, which owns the FanDuel Sports Network, could soon shutter its business unless it can find a buyer. Sports Business Journal reports that DAZN, once the most promising candidate to buy Main Street, is no longer likely to do so.
The nine teams without a TV contact now are the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels.
So if you’re a subscriber to DIRECTV, or any TV provider that carried FanDuel Sports teams in 2025, does this mean you won’t be able to watch the games in 2026?
No. For starters, it’s still possible that Main Street Sports could secure new agreements with some or all nine clubs. If they can find a buyer – soon – they might be in a position to make a better offer to the nine teams. Then, the teams’ games would stay on FanDuel, and on DIRECTV and other cable/satellite providers.
Two, if the teams don’t resign with FanDuel Sports, MLB TV will broadcast their games, just as they have for six teams (Padres, Twins, etc.) that lost RSN (regional sports network) contracts over the last two years.
Three, and if MLB TV does the games, you can all-but guarantee that DIRECTV will continue to carry them as separate team channels, just as it has done for the six teams that have been part of the league’s streaming service in 2024 and 2025. (Other TV providers will likely carry teams they have previously carried as well although DIRECTV is the surest bet here.)
Kim, I hope that answers your question. Happy viewing and stay safe!
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