A detailed view of a hand holding a branded microphone for FanDuel Sports Network during an interview after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics at Little Caesars Arena on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.
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Defunct Main Street Sports, owner of a portfolio of regional sports networks, is suing cable companies. comcast and charter communications It has filed a separate lawsuit alleging underpayment of license fees.
The company, which began winding down operations earlier this year, alleges Comcast and Charter, the two largest pay-TV providers in the U.S., breached their contracts and underpaid Main Street in early 2026, when its networks were still distributing NBA and NHL games to rural markets across the country, according to a lawsuit seen by CNBC.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Delaware Superior Court. Representatives for Comcast and Charter did not respond to requests for comment.
Main Street, which started life as the Fox Sports network, has changed hands and changed names several times since 2019. The company emerged from bankruptcy protection in early 2025, and its channel was renamed FanDuel Sports Network. It has about 15 channels, and at one point after its bankruptcy was broadcasting games from about 30 teams from Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association.
But despite touting subscriber growth as recently as the spring, Main Street continued to face liquidity issues when MLB fees came due, CNBC previously reported. The company has long been plagued by heavy debt.
Due to this problem, business downsizing was inevitable. It aired the last local MLB game in 2025, but this year it also broadcast the entire NBA regular season, as well as the NHL regular season and the first round of the playoffs.
Problems abound for regional sports networks as pay-TV bundles continue to lose subscribers.
Regional sports networks were once a lucrative business model for teams and leagues. Channels paid high fees to show local games, and those fees were tied to team salaries. However, the prevalence of cord-cutting has caused many pay-TV distribution companies to reconsider their contracts with these channels.
Direct-to-consumer streaming offerings for these networks are also in a state of flux. Last month, two of New York’s independent regional sports networks left their own streaming apps and signed deals to be distributed by streaming platform DAZN.
