No fan has been excited to see all of the changes when it comes to the Atlanta Braves and their TV rights. Fans just want to watch their team and from carriage disputes to rights payment uncertainty, having to wonder how or even if there will be an easy way to watch the Braves in 2026 and beyond just does not feel great. Today's news both adds some clarity, but also some profound uncertainty to the discussion.
We already knew that Main Street/FanDuel was looking to renegotiate their MLB deals including with the Braves and that there was a good chance that the Braves would need a new TV home. However, what we didn't know until Monday, at least according to the Sports Business Journal, that not only were the Braves leaving FanDuel/Main Street, but Atlanta is apparently starting their own network.
**UPDATE: The Braves have made a statement, but we still don't have any more details than the original report**
Statement from the Atlanta Braves: pic.twitter.com/vaQzr5vi12
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 2, 2026
Braves to create their own network which raises as many questions as it answers
So, there is a lack of details available at the moment. We know that the Braves joined nine other teams in cancelling their agreements with Main Street (formerly Diamond Sports who already went bankrupt once). While the other eight teams (Reds, Tigers, Angels, Royals, Marlins, Brewers, Rays and Cardinals) are moving under MLB's network umbrella, it sounds like the Braves want to make their own network and follow a model similar to what the Rangers did.
In order to pull this off, the Braves are going to have to build out a broadcast network infrastructure themselves and then formalize broadcast agreements with cable providers and/or streaming services to make sure the games would actually be carried by entities with some real distribution. So far, it doesn't sound like Atlanta is going to make their own app that would make watching games exclusive it for 2026, which is good news.
Thankfully, the Braves are owned by a media company after all in Liberty Media, so they may have access to a media broadcast infrastructure that other teams would not. Things are going to get weirder before they get better, but that may pale in comparison to the sea of change that is coming once all MLB team's TV rights run out in 2028.