SOUTHPORT, Conn.—Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network has announced ambitious plans to offer free streams of some live local NBA and NHL games on major streaming platforms beginning mid-November. All of the as-yet-unspecified games will also air for free in over-the-air broadcasts by local stations.
Earlier this month, during the Local Strategies sessions co-hosted by NAB Show New York and TVNewsCheck, Main Street Sports Group’s chief revenue officer, Eric Ratchman, said Main Street had reached deals with some station groups and teams to offer the free streams. The company has not, however, released details of the games or the specific station groups.
FanDuel Sports said it would bring select live game productions of its NBA and NHL team partners—also available in-market on an over-the-air (OTA) basis—directly to Pluto TV, Prime Video and Samsung TV Plus, with more platforms and services to be announced. Games will be presented outside the networks’ paywall, which the owner of cable regional sports networks hopes will help drive subscriptions and increase fan interest in the teams.
FanDuel Sports also stressed that the launch of some free-streaming games in November marks the first phase of its broader, multiphase free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) strategy. That strategy is designed to extend reach to younger, digital-first sports fans while fueling direct-to-consumer and linear TV growth and creating a new path for marketers to reach sports viewers through advertising and sponsorship opportunities, the network said.
"Launching this digital game offering is a big step in expanding our national reach and continuing to prioritize the different ways fans can watch their hometown teams," Ratchman said. "By bringing games to free streaming platforms that reach hundreds of millions of viewers, we're making local sports more accessible than ever and proving what our ubiquitous access model can deliver."
FanDuel Sports plans to launch a dedicated 24/7 FAST channel in 2026, which will serve as a national front door to help amplify its growing roster of programming, including “Golic & Golic,” “Countdown Live” and more, it said.
FanDuel Sports Network is a group of RSNs created after Bally Sports, which had been owned by Sinclair, filed for bankruptcy protection and was rebranded. FanDuel Sports Network, which emerged from bankruptcy in early 2025, is owned by Main Street Sports Group, formerly Diamond Sports Group.
