The way North Carolina sports fans watch their favorite teams has changed … just in time for the NBA and NHL seasons.
FanDuel Sports Network South will broadcast the Carolina Hurricanes and FanDuel Sports Network Southeast will have Charlotte Hornets games this season.
FanDuel Sports South and Southeast have replaced the former Bally Sports in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia after a complicated bankruptcy by Bally’s parent company, Diamond Sports Group. The new FanDuel Sports Network will also host regional sports coverage across the US.
Games will also be on the FanDuel streaming app
Fans will be able to bet on the full seasons of the Charlotte Hornets and the Carolina Hurricanes for the first time this year. North Carolina sports betting launched in March.
The same broadcasting teams from past seasons will host the Hornets and Hurricanes games this year. The Hornets open their season on Oct. 23 against the Houston Rockets.
Viewers will notice the rebranded FanDuel Sports channel on their cable lineup via Charter Spectrum or Comcast Xfinity. Channels will remain the same with no price changes.
NC sports fans can also watch both teams on the FanDuel streaming app, which is available for a monthly subscription fee. The streaming app provides programming on any device. FanDuel Sports will show 72 of the 82 Hurricanes games during the 2024-25 NHL season. This streaming service is not a part of the FanDuel NC Sportsbook though fans can stream some live sports through the sportsbook app as well.
Subscribers to satellite and set-top box video providers can also see the Hurricanes and Hornets this season on FanDuel Sports via AT&T U-verse on the Ultimate TV package, Cox cable boxes, DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, and Fubo TV.
‘Cord-cutting’ to blame
How did we get from what was once Fox Sports to Bally Sports to finally FanDuel Sports Network? The answer has to do with how consumers are changing their viewing habits.
More and more sports fans are now choosing to abandon cable television packages in what is known as “cord cutting.” That decision has impacted the revenue for cable media properties, at a time shortly after Diamond (via its parent Sinclair Broadcast Group) bought Fox Sports Regional Sports Network in 2019 for nearly $10 billion.
That deal left many scratching their heads, and ratings plummeted at regional sports networks across the US. In 2023, Sinclair declared bankruptcy, placing the television broadcasting schedules of as many as 42 MLB, NBA, and NHL teams in jeopardy.
MLB stepped in to rescue the San Diego Padres broadcasts, while at the same time the league asked a judge to force Sinclair to make the missed payments for the rights to their games.
While Sinclair and Diamond twisted in the wind, other media companies circled, sensing an opportunity to snag content. That included Amazon, which tried and failed to negotiate with bankruptcy courts to save the Bally regional sports networks.
More than a dozen other regional sports networks will be rebranded under the agreement that emerged from the Diamond bankruptcy. As a result, the company forged the arrangement with FanDuel, which has a firm place as one of the two largest sportsbooks in the US and also has a successful daily fantasy sports product.
What other MLB, NBA, and NHL teams are on FanDuel Sports Network?
FanDuel Sports Network will subsume 16 regional sports networks in all, affecting over 30 teams. These are the networks and teams that will likely be included.
| Region | Teams |
|---|---|
| FDSN Detroit | Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings |
| FDSN Florida | Miami Marlins, Orlando Magic |
| FDSN Great Lakes | Cleveland Guardians* |
| FDSN Kansas City | Kansas City Royals |
| FDSN Indiana | Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever |
| FDSN Midwest | St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues |
| FDSN North | Minnesota Twins*, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Lynx |
| FDSN Ohio | Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets |
| FDSN Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| FDSN SoCal | Los Angeles Clippers |
| FDSN South | Atlanta Braves, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Dream |
| FDSN Southeast | Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Dream |
| FDSN Southwest | Texas Rangers*, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Wings |
| FDSN Sun | Miami Heat, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning |
| FDSN West | Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Kings |
| FDSN Wisconsin | Milwaukee Brewers*, Milwaukee Bucks |
* Teams with Diamond Sports contracts expiring in 2024
Image Credit: Matt Freed / AP Images
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