In an effort to increase reach, FanDuel Sports Network is looking to free ad-supported television (FAST) platforms.
Main Street Sports Group, the owner of the FanDuel-branded regional sports networks, announced that select NBA and NHL broadcasts across its channels will be made available on FAST platforms Pluto TV, Prime Video Channels, and Samsung TV Plus this season. These games will be the same selection of games made available on free, over-the-air broadcast networks within a team’s local market.
In recent years, many teams have negotiated deals that allow a subset of local game broadcasts to air on an over-the-air basis in addition to their regional sports network.
“By bringing games to free streaming platforms that reach hundreds of millions of viewers, we’re making local sports more accessible than ever and proving what our ubiquitous access model can deliver,” Main Street Sports Group CRO Eric Ratchman said in a press release.
In addition to placing games carved away for over-the-air broadcasts onto FAST platforms as well, Main Street Sports Group also announced plans to launch its own FAST channel next year. Per the release, the channel “will serve as a national front door to help amplify FanDuel Sports Network’s growing roster of programming, including Golic & Golic, Countdown Live and more.”
FanDuel Sports Network has recently bolstered its national programming, tapping former SportsCenter anchor Stan Verrett to host a whip-around-style pregame show intended for a broad audience. The group of regional networks also recently announced a content partnership with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, though no projects have been announced yet.