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What’s left of the shuttering Main Street Sports Group has sued the two largest U.S. cable distributors, accusing them of underpaying contracted carriage fees.
The FanDuel Sports Network parent company has filed separate suits in Delaware Superior Court against Charter Communications and Comcast, Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, among domestic pay-TV operators, alleging breach of contract by each of them.
More specifically, Main Street Sports said the two carriers sought to improperly enrich themselves by terminating their distribution pacts upon the conclusion of the 2025–26 NHL and NBA playoffs. The first round of the NHL playoffs represented the final live games Main Street Sports carried. Neither league nor any of its teams renewed with the financially struggling Main Street Sports, and the remaining batch of MLB clubs previously aligned with the company left in February.
“A termination does not excuse Comcast Cable’s obligations to pay accrued license fees,” Main Street Sports said in its lawsuit against that carrier.
While the public filings of the two lawsuits are heavily redacted, and obscure any specific financial and contractual details, Main Street Sports said the outstanding carriage fees are “significant.”
Both Charter and Comcast declined to comment. Industry sources say both companies are likely to contest the allegations.
Bigger Shifts
Main Street Sports is now in a wind-down process, as most of its prior staff has either left or been laid off, and it is no longer airing any live major league games. The company, which emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2025 after a prior existence as Diamond Sports Group, has been a key indicator of the heavy struggles of this part of the sports media business.
For many years, the company was the country’s largest single operator of regional sports networks. More recently, though, Main Street Sports was steadily battered by a series of issues, including accelerating cord-cutting by consumers that cut heavily into subscription bases, as well as rising rights fees with teams. As a result, its post-bankruptcy recovery was fleeting at best.
In the lawsuits, Main Street Sports also suggested that it is looking to recoup distribution revenue to help pay out rights fees that it still owes teams. Prior non-payment and underpayment of rights fees to several clubs helped accelerate the company’s loss of all of its live rights.
“The licensed fees paid to MSSG are passed along to MSSG’s NBA and NHL team rights partners, as well as other creditors,” Main Street Sports said in the complaint against Charter. “By refusing to pay MSSG what it is owed for the work performed, Charter is also harming the NBA and NHL teams whose games were aired by MSSG.”
