Short answer: the regional sports network, the cable channel that showed your local team's games, is no longer one thing. In 2026 the biggest RSN group, FanDuel Sports Network, shut down, and its teams scattered: MLB now produces and streams games for 14 clubs itself, many NBA and NHL teams moved to free over-the-air TV, and others went to team-owned apps or DAZN. The catch is that there is no single app for local sports any more; how you stream your team depends entirely on which team it is.
At a glance
Regional sports streaming in 2026
| FanDuel Sports Network | Wound down in April 2026 |
| MLB local games | 14 teams via MLB's own apps, about $20/month |
| Free over the air | A growing list of NBA and NHL teams |
| Team-owned networks | YES, NESN, MSG, Marquee, SNY and others |
| The rule | Check your team's own "how to watch" page |
What a regional sports network is
For decades, most US teams in baseball, basketball and hockey sold their local television rights to a regional sports network: a cable channel serving one area, showing the local team's games that weren't on national TV. That's typically well over 100 games a season for an MLB team and most of the regular season for an NBA or NHL team.
RSNs were funded by cable subscribers, including millions who never watched them, and the rights are restricted by geography: only people inside the team's home territory can watch. As households left cable, that model lost its funding, and the networks began to fail.
The national side, games on ESPN, TNT, NBC, Prime Video and the rest, is a separate story. Our guides to watching the NBA and the NHL cover those national deals.
What happened in 2025 and 2026
The largest RSN group, originally Bally Sports and later renamed FanDuel Sports Network under Main Street Sports Group, went through bankruptcy in 2023-24 and emerged in weaker shape.
January 2026: its remaining MLB teams ended their contracts after missed rights payments, and MLB took over their local broadcasts.
April 2026: the company wound down after the NBA and NHL regular seasons, with the leagues telling affected teams to find new partners for 2026-27.
That left over a dozen NBA teams and several NHL teams looking for new homes at once. Some other RSNs, mostly those owned by teams themselves, carry on largely unaffected.
The four ways local games are now shown
No single replacement has emerged. Instead, local rights now sit in roughly four models, often combined.
| Model | How you watch | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Free over-the-air TV | Antenna, or cable/live TV local channels | Suns, Pelicans, Mavericks, Pistons, Heat; Lightning, Panthers, Golden Knights |
| League-run streaming | Team-branded app from the league | 14 MLB teams through MLB Local Media |
| Team-owned networks and apps | Cable channel plus its own subscription app | YES, NESN, MSG, Marquee, SNY, SportsNet LA |
| Third-party streamers | A national app, limited to your area | Victory+ (free), DAZN for several NBA teams |
The popular 2026 combination, sometimes called "beam and stream", pairs a free local TV station with a paid or free streaming app, so antenna viewers and cord-cutters are both covered.
Team and network streaming apps, with prices
Most surviving regional networks now sell a direct streaming subscription, so you don't need cable. Reported 2026 prices for a selection:
| Network or app | Teams | Approx. price |
|---|---|---|
| Gotham Sports (YES and MSG) | Yankees, Nets, Knicks, Rangers and others | From about $20/month |
| NESN 360 | Red Sox, Bruins | About $30/month or $240/year |
| Watch Marquee | Cubs | About $20/month |
| SNY | Mets | About $25/month or $125/season |
| SportsNet LA+ | Dodgers | About $30/month or $200/season |
| Chicago Sports Network | White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks | About $30/month |
| Victory+ | Stars, Ducks and others | Free with ads for some teams |
Live TV services are patchy. YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling have dropped most regional networks over the years; Fubo and DirecTV carry more of them, and DirecTV has sold a dedicated sports pack for RSNs. If you want your team alongside the national channels in one subscription, check those two first, using your ZIP code on their channel lookup pages.
These team apps are only available to viewers inside each team's home territory, which the app checks using your location. Prices change season to season; the network's own website is the place to confirm.
Baseball: MLB's own local streaming
Baseball has the most organised replacement. MLB Local Media now produces local broadcasts itself for 14 teams, including the Padres, Mariners, Guardians, Twins, Brewers, Cardinals, Reds, Tigers and Rays.
In-market streaming for those teams is sold through team-branded apps at about $20 a month or $100 a season, and can be bundled with the out-of-market MLB.TV package for about $200 a season.
The games also stay on TV. MLB distributes the same broadcasts to cable and satellite providers, and some teams add free over-the-air stations; Minnesota and Cincinnati, for example, have partnered with local broadcast stations.
ESPN now sells MLB.TV. Under a new deal, MLB.TV for out-of-market games is available through ESPN, including as an add-on to ESPN Unlimited. Local blackouts still apply to it.
Basketball and hockey for 2026-27
The NBA and NHL teams left without an RSN in April have mostly announced new arrangements for the coming season, and the picture varies team by team.
Free over-the-air: the Pistons, Heat, Hawks and Bucks have been reported as moving to broadcast-only deals, joining teams like the Suns, Pelicans and Mavericks, which went free earlier. The Hornets and Magic signed with local stations owned by Cox Media Group.
DAZN: DAZN was reported in summer 2026 to be taking local streaming rights for several NBA teams, including the Cavaliers, Pacers, Timberwolves, Spurs and Grizzlies, typically alongside local TV. Details and pricing were still being confirmed at the time of writing.
Hockey: the NHL left each team to its own devices. Scripps has built a group of free over-the-air hockey teams, including the Lightning, Panthers, Golden Knights and Utah, and the Predators from 2026-27; the Stars and Ducks stream free on Victory+.
If your team hasn't confirmed its plans by the start of the season, its official website and social channels are where the announcement will appear first.
The NBA has said it is exploring a central local-streaming hub along MLB's lines, but not before 2027-28 at the earliest.
Blackouts and the in-market rule
Whatever the model, local rights are still local. Two rules follow.
You can only buy your home team's local stream inside its territory. Apps confirm your location, usually from your internet connection or a device's location service. A fan living in another state can't buy the local feed.
Out-of-market packages black out local teams. MLB.TV, NBA League Pass and NHL Center Ice block games of teams in your area, because the local broadcaster holds those rights. That's the reason to find the local option in the first place.
Unofficial IPTV packages advertise every RSN in one list. They aren't licensed, they tend to fail on the busiest nights, and they leave you with no recourse. With so many teams now free over the air or around $20 a month, the licensed route is usually both cheaper and more reliable. For the practical steps to watching your own team, see our guide to watching your local team without cable.
Quick answers
What is a regional sports network? A cable channel serving one area and showing the local team's games that aren't on national TV, such as YES, NESN or Marquee.
What happened to FanDuel Sports Network? Its owner, Main Street Sports Group, wound down operations in April 2026 after its MLB teams left in January. Its NBA and NHL teams found new partners for 2026-27.
Can I stream my regional sports network without cable? Usually yes, through the network's or team's own app, typically about $20-30 a month, if you live in the team's home area.
How do I watch my local MLB team without cable? Check whether your team is one of the 14 produced by MLB; if so, its team-branded app costs about $20 a month or $100 a season. Other teams use their own networks' apps.
Are more games free on TV now? Yes. Many NBA and NHL teams moved to free over-the-air stations in 2025 and 2026, so an antenna now shows far more local sport than it did.
Why is my team blacked out on MLB.TV or League Pass? Because you're inside its local territory, where the local broadcaster holds the rights. Watch through the local channel or app instead.
Will the NBA launch its own local streaming service? The league has said it is exploring one, but not before the 2027-28 season.
Local sports rights are changing faster than at any point in decades, and many 2026-27 deals were still being finalised. Prices and partners vary by team and season, so check your team's official site. Checked September 2026.