Why the Cleveland Cavaliers Could Face Local Broadcasting Issues Next Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking ahead in unfortunate limbo ahead of next season.

The fall of the Main Street Sports Group, which owns the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks, was rapid. The struggling company, rebuilt from the remnants of its predecessor Diamond Sports Group after a lengthy bankruptcy, appeared headed for collapse when reports emerged last December that it had missed rights payments to franchises.

The Cavaliers are one of 13 teams, along with six NHL clubs, that will be scrambling for local broadcast partners for next season.

The Hawks, Hornets, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, and Spurs are the other NBA teams included.

Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal broke the news of the wind-down on Thursday.

Main Street Sports Group officially shuttering this month, 13 NBA teams become local TV free agents https://t.co/kdWrILM2Oh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 2, 2026

What are the NBA doing

Anticipating that Main Street Sports Group would wind down operations after the current season, the NBA had been aiming to fast-track a centralized local broadcast package, one that would combine the in-market rights of many of the league’s 30 teams into a single product to sell to a streaming platform.

However, according to a report from Sports Business Journal on Thursday, that package is now more likely to debut in the 2027–28 season, forcing teams to secure one-year stopgap deals for next year.

As a result, the league is reportedly encouraging teams to sign only one-year agreements, or at least include opt-out clauses after a year, for the upcoming season. Ideally, the NBA hopes to line up 20 or more teams before bringing the package to market.

The report notes that platforms such as YouTube TV would only be interested if the package includes at least 20 teams.

The rights fees are expected to come in below $10 million per year, with many teams likely to pivot to local over-the-air broadcasters or even begin to launch their own in-house networks, such as the Cavaliers’ Rock Entertainment Sports Network.

According to Sports Business Journal, none of the 13 NBA teams or seven NHL teams affiliated with Main Street have received local media rights payments in 2026. However, once they agree to a dissolution deal, each team is expected to recoup up to 60% of the lost TV revenue from Main Street’s creditors.

Despite six NHL clubs window shopping for new local broadcast partners, the seventh team, the LA Kings, will continue on FanDuel Sports Network after the Los Angeles Angels purchased their channel rights last month.