Detroit Teams Ditch Cable Chaos to Launch Their Own Streaming Service

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, owner of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, is launching its own regional sports network, Detroit SportsNet (DSN), creating a new hybrid broadcast and streaming home for its teams. The move is a direct response to the financial collapse of the legacy regional sports network model.

• Out of the ashes: The new service was born from necessity after the teams' previous broadcaster, the FanDuel-branded regional sports network, collapsed after defaulting on its payments. This follows a national trend of RSNs struggling to survive in the age of cord-cutting, forcing teams to take control of their own broadcast rights.

• The direct-to-fan play: DSN will launch with Tigers games this season, with the Red Wings joining for the 2026-27 season. While available on traditional cable, the main play is the direct-to-consumer streaming option, priced at $19.99 a month and integrated into the MLB App, leveraging the league’s powerful distribution platform.

• The new playbook: Bringing broadcasts in-house is becoming the standard playbook for sports franchises navigating the RSN collapse. The strategy mirrors similar moves by teams like the Atlanta Braves and is part of a larger league-wide shakeup as teams seek to stabilize revenue and connect directly with fans.

For fans, the era of hunting for games across confusing cable packages is ending, replaced by the simpler, but often more expensive, reality of direct subscriptions. The shift in local sports is happening alongside a massive realignment in national broadcast rights. MLB's out-of-market package is now integrated with ESPN, while streamers like Netflix are also getting into the game.