This story has been updated to include a comment from the Main Street Sports Group CEO David Preschlack.
SOUTHPORT – By the end of the 2025-2026 NBA and NHL seasons and two weeks into the 2026 MLB season sports fans will know the name of Fan Duel Sports Network’s parent company … for all the wrong reasons.
That’s because on April 14 Main Street Sports Group of Southport plans to shutter its operation and lay off its 44 employees from the CEO on down. The company, which takes up most of the space at the 27,392-square-foot Pequot Plaza office building, started off the year with broadcast rights to 29 NBA, NHL and MLB teams. Its demise has left nine MLB teams scurrying for flagship regional TV coverage just about a month before Opening Day.
The NBA season ends April 12 and the NHL season ends April 16.
“FanDuel Sports Network is continuing to broadcast NBA and NHL games as we engage in discussions with our partners about our go-forward plans,” said Main Street Sports Group CEO David Preschlack.
“While final decisions have not been made, we have issued WARN notices to employees, as required by law, in connection with potential workforce impacts that could occur in the coming months. Any and all aspects of the WARN notices can be revoked at any time. We remain committed to transparency and fair treatment of our employees.”
In a federal WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice to Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale and the state Department of Labor, the company’s Chief Human Resources Officer Meredith Powers announced the news.
“This action is expected to be permanent,” Powers wrote in a Feb. 13 WARN notice about the layoffs and office closing. “While we do not meet the threshold to trigger WARN, we wanted to make you aware of our Company’s circumstances.”
Only two weeks prior to the WARN notice, a spokesperson for Main Street Sports said it was going to continue broadcasting NBA and NHL games.
“FanDuel Sports Network is continuing to broadcast NBA and NHL games, and we appreciate the leagues’ engagement in ongoing discussions on our go-forward plans,” a spokesperson for Main Street Sports wrote in a statement to ESPN on Feb. 2. “We appreciate the relationships we have had with these MLB partners and their fans over many years, and we wish them the best.”
MLB is producing games for at least 13 teams, including the Cardinals, Reds, Royals, Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Tigers, and others, as they move away from the bankrupt FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports).
Main Street Sports owns local rights for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, LA Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. In the NHL, the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues.
Main Street Sports wound up with the broadcast rights for the sports teams after it took over Fox Sports and Bally regional sports channels.
