Suppose you sign up for a free trial, put down on your couch with snacks, only to find they’ve all vanished. It’s the fuzzy situation thousands of sports fans ended up in all over 2026. If you’ve been looking for a FanDuel Sports Network free trial, you’re in for the truth—not old marketing jargon that’s still on the web.
This article details everything you need to know about the FanDuel Sports Network free trial including how it was supposed to work, why it was suddenly pulled, and what fans should do to get the best of sports betting. Moreover, you’ll discover what caused one of the worst sports broadcasting failures in regional history.
Table of Contents
What was FanDuel Sports Network Free Trial?
It’s important to look at what some of the FanDuel Sports Network free trial actually provided to the fans before going into the dramatic collapse. Formerly Bally Sports, FanDuel Sports Network was a direct-to-consumer streaming service of regional NBA, NHL & MLB broadcasts. Thus, the FanDuel Sports Network free trial was an appealing option for fans seeking to view local games without a conventional cable package.
The typical length of the FanDuel Sports Network free trial was seven days, and then the subscribers paid $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year. But FanDuel’s promotions could get a bit sweeter at times, such as a month-long free trial for people who made a sportsbook bet amounting to five dollars or more. Meanwhile, some MLB teams, such as the Atlanta Braves, took the plunge to provide a more extended 30-day free trial for the 2025 season.
To use the Standard Trial, follow the steps below:
To register for a FanDuel Sports Network free trial, users had to sign up via the FanDuel Sports Network app or website on their Android and iOS devices. As a result, fans would be able to play directly onto their mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs or connected streaming box without the need of an additional cable subscription. Upon sign up, new users were able to enjoy live matches, pre-game entertainment, post-game analysis and original television programming from the very start of the trial.
The FanDuel Sports Network Free Trial has been discontinued for a variety of reasons
Now comes the part that most people today searching for it will be surprised to see. The FanDuel Sports Network free trial has been discontinued since the sports network has completely halted its operations in the region. Throughout the end of 2025 and early 2026, Main Street Sports Group, the parent company of FanDuel Sports Network, had serious financial troubles.
As a result, in January 2026 all nine MLB teams inked with the network ended their contracts because of the failure to pay rights fees. Soon, thirteen NBA teams and seven NHL teams were in a similar situation when Main Street Sports Group defaulted on its broadcasting obligations. For this reason, it is no longer possible to search for a FanDuel Sports Network free trial in late 2026, as the service itself has evolved.
The Timelines of Collapse
With this timeline in mind, it’s easy to see why so many fans are confused about the FanDuel Sports Network free trial today. The company started providing formal dismissals and closure notifications to impacted teams and employees in February 2026. In addition, Main Street Sports Group said it would end all broadcasts of the FanDuel Sports Network by April 2026 after the end of the NBA regular season and first round of the NHL playoffs. This marks the end of the FanDuel Sports Network’s live regional sports broadcasting era, with the last one taking place on April 30, 2026.
However, this fall was not an instant one. Instead, it marked the end of a string of financial difficulties stemming from the bankruptcy of its last owner, Diamond Sports Group in 2024. FanDuel’s sponsorship and re-branding agreement in the end of 2024 gave some short-term hope, but the structural issues in the regional sports network industry were too much to overcome.
Historical comparison of FanDuel Sports Network Free Trials.
This table compares the different offers that were available for free trial periods during its history until the service’s end in 2026.
| Trial Type | Duration | Requirement | Price After Trial |
| Standard App Trial | 7 Days | New subscriber signup | $19.99/month or $189.99/year |
| Sportsbook Bonus Trial | 3 Months | Place a qualifying $5 bet | $19.99/month after trial ends |
| Atlanta Braves Promotion | 30 Days | New subscriber in team’s territory | Standard monthly/annual pricing |
| Bundled Regional Promotion | 7 Days | Available in multi-team markets | Discounted bundle pricing |
The FanDuel Sports Network free trial would not have been the same across different time periods, regions, or promotional deals, as you can see in this table. None of these trial offers survive today, however, because the regional broadcasting infrastructure on which they were based has been taken down.
So where did the teams that used FanDuel Sports Network go?
Of course, you’ll also want to know where your favorite teams broadcasted if you’re looking for the FanDuel Sports Network free trial. After the collapse, several organizations have been swift to set up their own solutions. For example, the Atlanta Braves created their own television network, BravesVision, to ensure local coverage with cable and MLB’s streaming service.
Likewise, the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings ended up with a new regional entity, Detroit SportsNet, that was established just before the 2026 season to fill the void. Other teams meanwhile worked on individual deals with another broadcasters, streaming platforms or league solutions. This has led to the broadcasters, once available in the FanDuel Sports Network free trial, now having to offer several smaller and team-specific solutions.
NHL and NBA Scrambling for Solutions
What’s especially interesting is that the NHL teams had a very strange problem after the shutdown. A number of hockey teams tried to link up with network affiliations in baseball to preserve continuity in the area. The Los Angeles Kings, for instance, were said to be moving toward a “network” connected with the Angels, beginning in 2026-27. But, for many other NBA and NHL teams, the FanDuel Sports Network free trial was months ago and their solution has yet to become clear.
Can You Still Play FanDuel-Contestable Content?
The regional sports network is closed, but there is an important point of confusion: FanDuel TV, a standalone sister channel that specializes in horse racing and sports betting related news and content, is still running separately from the defunct regional sports network. So, don’t be misled by the current viewing of FanDuel TV’s programming, as that was previously a free trial of the FanDuel Sports Network that offered local coverage for the NBA, NHL and MLB.
Even FanDuel TV, however, is in limbo, with reports saying the channel will cease its traditional broadcasts by the end of 2027. With that said, it’s worth noting that the whole FanDuel Sports Network brand is undergoing restructuring on a nationwide level and the only way to find the original FanDuel Sports Network free trial is to opt-out of the rebranding.
No one knew that the FanDuel Sports Network Free Trial would be a success
This is a good example of the challenges that all regional networks around the country are facing today with sport. These networks have been battling cord-cutters, higher rights payments and changing viewing habits for years. At first, the FanDuel Sports Network free trial seemed like a novel way to bring a sense of the old to the new, but it just couldn’t make a go of it.
In addition to this, the demise of this one marks a bigger trend in the sports media as a whole. Traditional regional sports network models look increasingly outmoded in the future, as streaming services, league-operated platforms, and team-specific networks become more likely to replace them. Thus, for long-time FanDuel Sports Network free trial users, the era of consolidation in local sports broadcasting is likely to remain a thing of the past for the foreseeable future.
Implications for the future of sports streaming
In the future, fans can only expect to have to use more than one subscription or platform to keep up with their favourite teams, not one service. At the major league level, though, such as the NHL and the NBA, broadcasting rights seem to be more directly managed by the major leagues, with possible centralized streaming options in upcoming seasons. However, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty and the impact on the industry following FanDuel Sports Network’s demise hasn’t been adequately addressed yet.
Final Thoughts
The entire saga of FanDuel Sports Network’s free trial is really a cautionary tale for how quickly things can change in the business of regional sports broadcasting. It used to be a convenient and cheap alternative to cable for watching local games but it’s now a textbook example of how fast a media landscape can change under fans’ noses.
However, sports fans should be looking for the new site their team has joined this dramatic shakeup in the sports industry, not the magic trial we used to hear about. While the FanDuel Sports Network free trial was a novel concept when it was running, it has proven how unpredictable mainstream regional sports networks are. Going forward, a key step will be keeping abreast of your team’s broadcasting relationships; rather than looking for an old trial offer from a closed down service.
Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
Q1: Is the FanDuel Sports Network free trial still available in 2026?
No, the FanDuel Sports Network free trial is no longer available. The network ceased regional sports operations following its shutdown in April 2026.
Q2: Why did FanDuel Sports Network shut down?
FanDuel Sports Network shut down due to severe financial difficulties, missed rights payments to NBA, NHL, and MLB teams, and an inability to secure a sustainable business model.
Q3: What replaced FanDuel Sports Network for local team broadcasts?
Replacements vary by team. For example, the Atlanta Braves launched BravesVision, while Detroit Tigers and Red Wings fans now use Detroit SportsNet for local coverage.
Q3: Is FanDuel TV the same as FanDuel Sports Network?
No, FanDuel TV is a separate channel focused on horse racing and betting content, distinct from the now-defunct regional sports network that offered local game broadcasts.
Q4: How can I watch my local NBA or NHL team now?
Availability depends on your market. Check your team’s official website or app, since many franchises have established new streaming or broadcast partnerships following the shutdown.
