Kansas City Royals Reportedly Ending Partnership with FanDuel Sports

This article digs into the Kansas City Royals’ recent decision to return their local media rights to Major League Baseball. It’s a big shift away from Main Street Sports, the parent company of FanDuel Sports Kansas City.

This move comes as Main Street Sports faces serious financial trouble and possible bankruptcy. The Royals want broadcast stability, so they’re looking at a new direct-to-consumer streaming service.

Royals Cut Ties with Main Street Sports Amid Financial Instability

After decades in this business, I’ve seen plenty of handshake deals and grand promises fall apart. The situation with Main Street Sports, owner of FanDuel Sports Kansas City, feels especially shaky right now.

The Kansas City Royals have told MLB they plan to shift their local media rights back to the league. That’s a direct result of Main Street Sports’ rough financial state.

The Crumbling Empire of Main Street Sports

Reports from veteran sports media reporter John Ourand at Puck show the Royals aren’t the only ones leaving. At least six teams are jumping ship from Main Street Sports, which says a lot about how unstable things have gotten.

Main Street Sports, after the Royals decided to opt out weeks ago, tried to renegotiate fees. Those talks didn’t get far enough, and now the company could face Chapter 7 bankruptcy if they can’t find a buyer soon. It’s wild to see such a big player in regional sports broadcasting fall this hard.

Prioritizing Stability: The Royals’ Rationale

For any sports organization, reliable broadcast access for fans is crucial. The Royals clearly see it that way, too.

Cullen Maxey on Ensuring Uninterrupted Broadcasts

Cullen Maxey, the Royals’ president of business operations, explained the club’s main concern pretty plainly. He said they’d like to stay with FanDuel, but only if they can count on a stable partner to keep broadcasts running smoothly.

Maxey stressed that the club’s top priority is avoiding any interruptions during the baseball season. With fans more plugged in than ever, even a short outage can do real damage.

If the Royals move away from FanDuel Sports Network, their local media rights will go straight to Major League Baseball. MLB already manages local TV rights for a growing list of teams, including the:

• Diamondbacks
• Padres
• Guardians
• Rockies
• Twins
• Mariners
• Nationals

Introducing Royals.TV: A Direct-to-Consumer Solution

The Royals have also announced plans to launch their own direct-to-consumer streaming service. It’s a move that fits right in with how fans want to watch these days.

Subscription Model and Broadcast Talent

The club just rolled out Royals.TV, their own streaming platform that gives fans direct access to games. It’ll cost $19.99 per month or $99.99 per year for fans in the market.

If you’re out-of-market, the annual price jumps to $149.99. In-market subscribers using Royals.TV through MLB.TV can stream all locally broadcast Royals games without blackouts, at least within their home area.

But if you’re traveling, you might run into blackouts for other teams. Not ideal, but that’s the deal for now.

Fans will recognize the voices in the booth this season. The club’s bringing back Ryan Lefebvre, Rex Hudler, and Jeremy Guthrie.

Joel Goldberg and Jeff Montgomery will handle pre- and postgame coverage. That’s a relief for anyone who likes a bit of consistency.

They’re not ditching traditional TV either. Some games will still show up on local cable, satellite, and even a few over-the-air stations.

KCTV 5’s got Opening Day covered. This mix of streaming and traditional broadcasts should make a lot of folks happy, or at least give everyone some options.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Royals to ditch FanDuel Sports, per report