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MLB salary bubble about to burst
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:27 pm
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:27 pm
The local TV money is done, at least for 9 teams. Regional Sports Network can’t afford to pay
LINK
quote:
In response to more financial instability from their regional sports network operator, and in hopes of providing themselves with some much-needed flexibility, nine Major League Baseball teams have terminated their contracts with Main Street Sports Group, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Main Street, which holds 29 NBA, NHL and MLB teams in its portfolio and broadcasts their games under the name FanDuel Sports, emerged from a lengthy bankruptcy proceeding at the start of 2025 but finds itself in deep financial trouble again.
Recent reports from Sports Business Journal stated that the company will dissolve at the end of the current NBA and NHL seasons if it does not execute a sale to another platform.
That state of flux prompted all nine MLB teams under the portfolio -- the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays -- to terminate their original deals with Main Street.
LINK
6
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:28 pm to JoeyP239
Can’t they just defer this money out 20 years?
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:47 pm to JoeyP239
MLB has been a house of cards for years now.
It's a dying, regional sport, but was propped up immensely by local cable TV companies like FSN affiliates that drastically overpaid just so those channels could exist and provide guaranteed advertiser content on a nightly basis for 6 mo/yr.
All the while, MLB salaries ballooned to astronomical, unsustainable figures and once the cable TV bubble burst, it was good night to the overwhelming majority of their revenue streams and no viable replacement in sight... Especially for small markets and streaming fragmentation.
Add that to the fact that nobody watches the playoffs and no one even hardly knows where to find the league's postseason games on TV and nobody under 60 even cares about the sport nationally, and it won't be long before MLB is begging Congress for a bailout to save "America's passtime" that no one cares about anymore.
Chalk it up to analytics, lack of MLB marketing, bad commish, no stars, etc. Whatever the reason, their goose is cooked.
It's a dying, regional sport, but was propped up immensely by local cable TV companies like FSN affiliates that drastically overpaid just so those channels could exist and provide guaranteed advertiser content on a nightly basis for 6 mo/yr.
All the while, MLB salaries ballooned to astronomical, unsustainable figures and once the cable TV bubble burst, it was good night to the overwhelming majority of their revenue streams and no viable replacement in sight... Especially for small markets and streaming fragmentation.
Add that to the fact that nobody watches the playoffs and no one even hardly knows where to find the league's postseason games on TV and nobody under 60 even cares about the sport nationally, and it won't be long before MLB is begging Congress for a bailout to save "America's passtime" that no one cares about anymore.
Chalk it up to analytics, lack of MLB marketing, bad commish, no stars, etc. Whatever the reason, their goose is cooked.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:50 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:
It's a dying, regional sport
It had its best ratings year in a long time last year.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:52 pm to Jack Ruby
For MLB to survive they need to own all TV rights like the NFL has control over and bid them out collectively and all teams share in the revenue.
The Dodgers getting $1 billion a year from their local cable operatior (at least until it also bankrupts), and other clubs getting $20 million isn’t sustainable.
The Dodgers getting $1 billion a year from their local cable operatior (at least until it also bankrupts), and other clubs getting $20 million isn’t sustainable.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 9:57 pm to Jack Ruby
Why do I know you wear basketball jerseys
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:05 pm to NIH
Loathe the NBA.
Just an MLB realist.
Just an MLB realist.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:13 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:
Add that to the fact that nobody watches the playoffs and no one even hardly knows where to find the league's postseason games on TV
Do what?
MLB Post season ratings at multi year high in '25
quote:
The 2025 MLB Postseason averaged 6.33 million viewers on U.S. television platforms, up 28% from last year (4.96M) and officially the most-watched postseason since 2017
MLB shows double digit increase TV ratings in '25
quote:
MLB on Fox is up 10%
MLB on ESPN is up 22%
MLB Tuesday on TBS is up 16%
Do a little research before you talk out yer arse.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:18 pm to Jack Ruby
Seemed like strange fan fiction to me
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:31 pm to JoeyP239
No one makes it harder to watch your local team than Major League Baseball.
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:31 pm to JoeyP239
Braves back on TBS maybe? 
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:35 pm to Jack Ruby
Did you get this take from 2018?
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:36 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:
It's a dying, regional sport,
Like clock work
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:37 pm to NIH
Such a long diatribe too
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:44 pm to RD Dawg
Being up after decades of declines means very littlle.
The reason these RSN’s are going bankrupt is because they can’t sell enough ads to make up for the rights fees they paid to get access to the content.
When the Cable TV bubble bursts, the MLB salaries burst with it. They better hope they can find a big Tech company that can afford a loss leader (like Amazon/Apple/NetFlix) if they hope any of these salaries that are currently being paid are sustainable
The reason these RSN’s are going bankrupt is because they can’t sell enough ads to make up for the rights fees they paid to get access to the content.
When the Cable TV bubble bursts, the MLB salaries burst with it. They better hope they can find a big Tech company that can afford a loss leader (like Amazon/Apple/NetFlix) if they hope any of these salaries that are currently being paid are sustainable
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:44 pm to Jack Ruby
Oh look, Jack is showing his stupidity again
Posted on 1/8/26 at 10:47 pm to JoeyP239
Dodgers will help them reduce their payroll
Posted on 1/9/26 at 7:32 am to JoeyP239
Fubo is in talks to potentially buy the network.
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