In a surprising development, Fubo is suddenly in the mix for one of the NBA’s most complicated media problems.
According to Sports Business Journal, the Disney-owned streaming service has made an 11th-hour pitch to the 13 NBA teams that just exited Main Street Sports Group, better known to fans as FanDuel Sports Network. SBJ says Fubo has been pursuing the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic and Spurs with a hybrid model that blends direct-to-distributor and direct-to-consumer rights, with fees likely around $10 million or slightly below.
The pitch is notable because Fubo reportedly showed interet earlier this year and is not just trying to grab local rights for a season. SBJ reports the company’s broader idea is to help form a short-term RSN-style package now, then position itself as a candidate for the NBA’s long-discussed centralized streaming hub later on, possibly in 2027-28 if the league does not launch sooner. That puts the sports-oriented streamer in the same conversation as DAZN and Victory+, but with a different endgame as it wants to use the next season to prove it can handle a larger NBA regional rollout.
The NBA’s local-rights landscape is already in flux, as Main Street Sports Group is winding down after the NBA regular season and the first round of the NHL playoffs. The league has already told the 13 affected NBA teams they can seek new in-market deals for the 2026-27 season. SBJ also reported that many of those teams could end up on local over-the-air channels or streaming-only setups, which would be a major shift for NBA local broadcasts.
There is also a bigger league-wide question concerning who will house the NBA’s national streaming RSN for the 2026-27 season. SBJ reported that the league wants to know by the end of this week whether Amazon and YouTube TV are ready to bid for and carry that package. If they are not, the NBA could push the launch back to 2027-28 to give the project more time and to make sure enough teams opt in. SBJ also noted that YouTube TV has shown particular interest, while Amazon remains one of the more established names in the mix.
That backdrop helps explain why Fubo’s move feels less random than it first sounds. The service has been busy building scale after combining with Hulu + Live TV, Fubo reported 6.2 million combined North American subscribers. The streamer has also said it will start being sold alongside ESPN Unlimited and Disney+. In other words, Fubo is trying to turn itself into a bigger sports-and-streaming platform just as the NBA’s local and national rights structures are being rebuilt.
For now, the 13 NBA teams left without a stable TV home have multiple paths on the table, and Fubo just added another one. Whether that leads to a one-year stopgap, a streaming-only local package, or a bigger role in the NBA’s future national RSN plan, the next few days could be crucial.
Credit: Sports Business Journal