Rays likely to shift TV rights to MLB, offering cable and streaming access

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Feb 2, 2026

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be among the teams shifting their TV rights from financially troubled FanDuel Sports Network to Major League Baseball’s in-house group.

If so, their games would be available to in-market fans via the standard cable and satellite providers (such as Spectrum) and through direct-to-consumer streaming.

Details such as costs, carriers, specific channels and broadcast personnel will be worked out quickly, with spring training games starting in less than three weeks and the regular season opener in just over 50 days.

Sports business site Puck and ESPN reported Monday the Rays were joining the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals in the move to MLB, which would produce and distribute the games.

The Rays made no announcement and were said to still be considering options.

Sports Business Journal reported that all nine of the remaining teams with FanDuel were leaving (the other three being the Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers), but it was not certain which teams would end up with MLB or working out a deal with independent streaming services.

The Brewers, Cardinals, Marlins and Royals on Monday announced their moves to MLB, which already had previous arrangements with seven teams. The Braves issued a statement that they soon would be “launching a new era” in broadcasting amid reports they would start their own network.

Typically, MLB seeks to make deals with the same cable and satellite services that provided previous coverage of a team. There also could be an arrangement to simulcast coverage on a local station, as the Rays had 15 games last season on Channel 44.

The cost for streaming packages can vary by market. In St. Louis, subscriptions to Cardinals.TV go on sale next week for $99.99 for the full season or $19.99 per month. A Rays package likely would have a similar price structure.

Another touted benefit for streaming subscribers is getting all games without blackouts except for those picked up as part of exclusive national coverage.

MLB, with input from the teams, typically retains the same broadcasters in each market to maintain familiarity. That would require some negotiations, as the Rays TV broadcasters worked for FanDuel while the radio broadcasters are team employees.

The MLB-run productions typically include pregame and postgame coverage, but it may be abbreviated compared to what was shown on FanDuel (and its previous incarnation as Bally Sports), which included interviews and analysis.

With Main Street Sports Group, the parent company of FanDuel, seemingly headed to another bankruptcy filing, the move to MLB provides a quick and known solution for teams with the assurance of high-quality production.

But it comes at a cost, as teams don’t get a set rights fee as they did from the regional sports network but essentially just the revenue generated through placement on the cable and satellite systems, the streaming subscriptions and ad sales by the team and/or MLB.

That matters, as local TV rights fees account for an average of 21% of a team’s revenue, with a range of 12%-32%, according to a report in The Athletic based on players union data.

According to a recent story on mlb.com, teams that lost their regional sports network deals have received only about half of the revenue they had been getting.

The Rays never said how much they received from their TV deal, which started in 2019 and was supposed to run for 15 years, through the 2033 season.

Sports Business Journal reported they would average around $82 million per year, but then-principal owner Stuart Sternberg said the amount was “well, well, well under” that number. Forbes reported the Rays’ 2022 TV revenue was $56 million.

In November 2024, when Main Street — then known as Diamond Sports Group — was going through bankruptcy, the Rays reached an “amended” rights agreement, the terms of which also were not released.

In a statement about teams that made their move known, Main Street said, “We appreciate the relationships we have had with these MLB partners and fans over many years, and we wish them the best.”

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