FanDuel Sports Network Detroit


FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is an American regional sports network owned by Main Street Sports Group and operated as an affiliate of FanDuel Sports Network. It provides coverage of local sports teams in the state of Michigan, primarily focusing on those in Metro Detroit. The network airs exclusive broadcasts of games involving the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings; repeats of Detroit Lions preseason games; and some high school sports.
FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is available on cable television throughout Michigan, as well as in northeastern Indiana, northwest Ohio and some portions of northeastern Wisconsin and nationwide on satellite via DirecTV. FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is available for streaming through DirecTV Stream and FuboTV. The network's production facilities and offices are based in Southfield, Michigan, with master control operations based at the Sinclair Broadcast Group Media Operations Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It also maintains dedicated remote sets in the concourses of Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena.

History

Beginnings

FanDuel Sports Network Detroit traces its origins to 1996, when News Corporation purchased 50% of the Prime Network, a group of regional sports networks owned by Liberty Media, and immediately rebranded them under the "Fox Sports Network" banner. At the time of the purchase, Post-Newsweek Stations owned the Detroit-based Pro-Am Sports System, which served the local affiliate of the Prime Network. News Corporation announced plans to launch a Fox Sports Net affiliate in Michigan, and made a surprise bid for, and won, the local cable television rights to NBA games involving the Detroit Pistons.
When PASS Sports' respective National Hockey League and Major League Baseball broadcast rights to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers franchises came up for renewal, Fox Sports Net made a bid for the contracts and won them both. Fox Sports decided to push the launch date of the new channel forward in time for the beginning of the 1997–98 NHL season and 1998 MLB season; Fox Sports Detroit began broadcasting on September 17, 1997. Post-Newsweek, meanwhile, concluded that its coverage area was not large enough to support two RSNs and sold the remainder of its Tigers and Pistons contracts, and the contract of sportscaster John Keating, to Fox Sports Detroit. Post-Newsweek shut down PASS Sports on October 31, 1997, leaving Fox Sports Detroit as the sole regional sports network in Michigan.

Studios

From its launch until January 16, 2008, Fox Sports Detroit broadcast its studio shows out of FSN Northwest's facilities in Bellevue, Washington. On October 1, 2009, the network unveiled a new all-digital high definition-capable studio in its Southfield headquarters dubbed the "Call Sam Studio", named after its sponsor, the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. It serves as the production base of the pre-game/post-game shows Tigers Live, Pistons Live and Red Wings Live, as well the magazine shows of all three teams and all of the channel's other local programming. It was expected that 80% of the shows produced from the studio would be produced and broadcast in HD. The first program to originate from the new studio was Wingspan, a special previewing the 2009–10 Red Wings season, on October 1.

Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings switch to cable full-time

The channel shared professional team coverage rights with some Detroit area broadcast television stations until the spring of 2008. In March 2008, the channel signed new long-term contracts with the Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers to broadcast more games than in previous years, becoming the exclusive local home of all three teams for the first time until at least 2018. This leaves only the NFL's Detroit Lions as the only local professional sports team in Detroit to have all of its games on broadcast television.
Around this time a 720p high definition simulcast feed of Fox Sports Detroit was launched. It telecasts all Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers games in HD, their respective pre-game and post-game shows and team magazine shows, as well as all college and high school games and programs. Wingspan became the first locally produced pre-recorded program to be broadcast in HD when it began in 2009. In 2010, Central Collegiate Hockey Association and MHSAA games began airing in HD. Today almost all programming is shown in HD.

Detroit Lions coverage added

On May 21, 2015, the Detroit Lions announced a multi-year broadcast partnership with Fox Sports Detroit and WJBK. Fox Sports Detroit produces the preseason game broadcasts with Fox 2 producing the pre-game and post-game segments. The games air live on Fox 2 and the rest of the Detroit Lions Television Network, with re-airings on Bally Sports Detroit. Bally Sports Detroit also airs Lions Live after regular season games, and Monday head coach press conferences.

Change of ownership and rebrandings

On December 14, 2017, as part of a merger between both companies, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire all 22 regional Fox Sports networks from 21st Century Fox, including Fox Sports Detroit. However, on June 27, 2018, the Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of ESPN Inc.
On May 3, 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios bought Fox Sports Networks from The Walt Disney Company for $10.6 billion. The deal closed on August 22, 2019.
In October 2020, YouTube TV and Hulu failed to reach agreements with network owner Sinclair, leading those streaming services to drop the channel.
On November 17, 2020, Sinclair announced an agreement with casino operator Bally's Corporation to serve as a new naming rights partner for the FSN channels. Sinclair announced the new Bally Sports branding for the channels on January 27, 2021. On March 31, 2021, coinciding with the 2021 Major League Baseball season, Fox Sports Detroit was rebranded as Bally Sports Detroit, along with 18 other regional sports networks following suit in their respective regions.
On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. As a result of the bankruptcy, a carriage dispute arose between Diamond Sports and certain cable companies, leading to Xfinity dropping Bally Sports Detroit on May 1, 2024. Xfinity and Diamond / Bally reached a new agreement and Bally Sports returned to Xfinity customers on August 1, 2024.
On October 16, 2024, it was revealed in a court filing that Diamond had reached a new sponsorship agreement with FanDuel Group, under which it intended to rebrand Bally Sports as the FanDuel Sports Network; on October 18, 2024, Diamond officially announced the rebranding, which took effect October 21. Under the agreement, FanDuel has the option to take a minority equity stake of up to 5% once Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy. The branding is downplayed during programming related to high school sports.

Programming

Local team coverage

Professional teams

  • Detroit Red Wings – FanDuel Sports Network Detroit holds the exclusive local television rights to 70 Detroit Red Wings regular season games, as well as some preseason games and the first round of the playoffs. Red Wings Live airs before and after all games.
  • Detroit Tigers – FanDuel Sports Network Detroit holds the exclusive local television rights to at least 150 Detroit Tigers regular season games, as well as some Spring training games. Tigers Live airs before and after all regular season games, and after all playoff games.
  • Detroit Pistons – FanDuel Sports Network Detroit holds the exclusive local television rights to up to 70 regular season Detroit Pistons games, as well as some early round playoff games. Pistons Live airs before and after all games.
  • Detroit Lions – FanDuel Sports Network Detroit airs repeats of Detroit Lions preseason games. It also airs Lions Live after regular season games, and the Monday press conference with the Lions' head coach.

    Minor league teams

  • Grand Rapids Griffins – FanDuel Sports Network Detroit airs a select number of Grand Rapids Griffins regular season and playoff games.
  • Motor City Cruise - Fanduel sports Network Detroit airs select home games of Motor city cruise

    High school sports

  • Michigan High School Athletic Association football playoffs
  • MHSAA girls and boys basketball state finals
  • MHSAA Championships

    Weekly shows

  • Pistons Weekly – A 30-minute in-season show featuring off the court stories from the Detroit Pistons. Hosted by George Blaha, the program also airs on WDIV-TV.
  • Pistons In Focus – A 30-minute show that premiered during the 2009–10 season with biographies of notable Pistons players and coaches past and present, hosted by Eli Zaret. Those examined have included Isiah Thomas, Chuck Daly, Bill Laimbeer, Dave Bing and Tayshaun Prince.
  • Wingspan – a 30-minute in-season show featuring off-the-ice stories of the Detroit Red Wings.
  • Inside the Tigers – A 30-minute in-season show featuring off-the-field stories of the Detroit Tigers.
  • Inside Michigan Football – A 30-minute weekly discussion of University of Michigan Wolverines football with head coach Sherrone Moore, hosted by Jim Brandstatter. The program also features interview segments with Wolverines players, as well as locker room footage and special features presented by Doug Karsch. Formerly known as Michigan Replay, which began on WDIV-TV in 1980. It is also shown on Big Ten Network and ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV and via Big Ten Network On Demand.
  • Inside Michigan Basketball – A 30-minute weekly discussion of University of Michigan Wolverines men's basketball with head coach Dusty May, hosted by Matt Shepard. Maintaining a format similar to Inside Michigan Football, the program is also shown on Big Ten Network and available via Big Ten Network On Demand.
  • Michigan Sports Weekly – A weekly series chronicling the University of Michigan Wolverines sports scene; it is hosted by Doug Karsch. The program is also shown on Big Ten Network and the Michigan Channel.
  • Spartan Sports Zone – A weekly program chronicling the Michigan State University Spartans sports scene; it is hosted by Dave Ellis. The program is also shown on Big Ten Network and Fox College Sports Atlantic.
  • One on One with Tom Izzo – A 30-minute show featuring Michigan State University Spartans men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo and sports anchor Mickey York. It is also shown on Big Ten Network.
  • One on One with Jonathan Smith – A 30-minute show featuring Michigan State University Spartans football head coach Jonathan Smith and sports anchor Mickey York. It is also shown on Big Ten Network.
  • Michigan Golf Live – A pre-recorded weekly show that promotes golfing and golf courses in Michigan, hosted by Bill Hobson.