Streaming news roundup: DAZN becomes the streaming home for MSG and YES Networks, with up to 10 NBA teams in play

DAZN just became the exclusive streaming home of MSG and YES Networks — locking in the Knicks, Nets, Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Sabres — and it's reportedly close to deals with seven more NBA teams, giving the NBA's local shake-up a streaming-first answer distinct from the in-house models MLB and the NHL chose. Also this week: YouTube TV makes ESPN Unlimited easier to add, and Amazon takes over 'Thursday Night Football' production.

The gist: The messy reshaping of local sports TV took a big step this week — and, unlike the in-house paths MLB and the NHL have taken, this one is streaming-first: DAZN struck a deal to become the exclusive streaming home of MSG and YES Networks (the Knicks, Nets, Yankees, and four NHL clubs), and it's reportedly close to deals with seven more NBA teams. Also worth knowing: YouTube TV made it easier to add ESPN's full streaming tier, and Amazon is taking over production of "Thursday Night Football." Here's what's changing about where you watch.

DAZN is moving to stream local games for up to 10 NBA teams

For two years we've tracked the collapse of the regional sports networks — the FanDuel/Bally channels that carried much of the NBA, NHL, and MLB locally — and the patchwork of replacements. Different leagues have answered it differently: MLB brought local production in-house under MLB Local Media, and the NHL just launched its own league-run production for four teams. This week added the NBA's answer, and it's a streaming-first one.

On Wednesday, DAZN — the London-based service known in the U.S. mostly for boxing and international soccer — announced it will become the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and YES Network for the 2026-27 NBA and NHL seasons. That makes DAZN the in-market streaming home for the Knicks and Nets, plus the Yankees (MLB) and the Rangers, Islanders, Devils, and Sabres (NHL). The deal winds down the networks' current Gotham Sports app, whose subscribers will migrate to DAZN during the coming season (exact timing to be announced); MSG and YES will keep producing their own broadcasts, with DAZN handling only the consumer streaming. One reassuring detail for existing viewers: fans who already get MSG or YES through a pay-TV package will continue to access that content on DAZN at no additional cost, and legacy Gotham Sports accounts transfer over at no extra charge too.

Beyond New York, that's not the whole story: Sports Business Journal reports DAZN is also close to deals with seven more NBA teams — full local broadcast rights for the Grizzlies, Spurs, Pacers, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves, and streaming-only arrangements with the Magic and possibly the Hornets, with the Wizards a potential add. Those team deals are reported but not yet announced, and DAZN CEO Shay Segev said more are coming "very soon." All told, DAZN could become the local streaming home for up to 10 NBA teams.

What it means for you: if your team is on that list, its local games would move to a streaming app many U.S. fans don't currently have — a different path than the over-the-air route the Hawks, Bucks, and others chose. One useful detail: the deals are reportedly structured as one-year agreements or include opt-out clauses, which lines up with the NBA's plan to launch its own league-wide local streaming hub for the 2027-28 season. In other words, this looks like a bridge, not a decade-long lock-in.

Two things to keep in mind: the MSG/YES deal is official, but DAZN hasn't announced what a standalone (cord-cutter) subscription will cost — only that pay-TV and existing Gotham subscribers keep their access at no extra charge. And the seven additional NBA-team deals aren't final yet. Even so, this is one of the largest single moves of NBA local rights onto a streaming service to date — the league's streaming-first counterpart to the league-run production model the NHL just adopted for four of its own teams, and to MLB's in-house approach for roughly half its clubs.

YouTube TV makes ESPN Unlimited easier to add

If you subscribe to YouTube TV, getting ESPN's full direct-to-consumer tier just got simpler. This week (effective July 27), YouTube TV rolled out a streamlined process for eligible subscribers — those who already receive the ESPN networks in their base plan — to activate ESPN Unlimited, the top ESPN streaming tier that includes app-exclusive events and out-of-market packages like the NHL's and MLB's.

It's a small change on its own, but it's part of a bigger pattern we flagged Monday: ESPN's streaming is increasingly bundled into the services people already use, as Disney folds ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+ closer together. If you've wanted ESPN's streaming extras without juggling another separate login, this makes it more accessible from inside YouTube TV.

Quick hits

• Amazon takes over 'Thursday Night Football' production. Prime Video will produce its NFL package in-house this season, ending the arrangement under which NBC Sports had produced the broadcasts for the past four years. Where you watch doesn't change — TNF stays on Prime Video — but it's a sign of Amazon deepening its NFL commitment as the season nears.
• Peacock is coming to YouTube Premium. NBCUniversal's streamer will be integrated into YouTube Premium in early 2027 — another example of the big platforms absorbing each other's content. For sports fans, Peacock is the streaming home of Sunday Night Football and Premier League soccer.
• MLS is reportedly eyeing a national TV deal. Awful Announcing reports Major League Soccer is exploring a roughly $400 million television package as the Premier League, La Liga, Liga MX, and the Champions League all compete harder for American viewers. MLS's games currently live primarily on Apple's MLS Season Pass.

Not sure which of this week's games you can already watch? StreamCaddy maps the cheapest correct way to watch all of your teams and events for your exact location and subscriptions.

Sources

1. MSG Networks / YES Network (PR Newswire) — "DAZN to Be the Exclusive Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Home of the YES Network and MSG Networks" (official joint announcement: exclusive DTC streaming home for the 2026-27 NBA and NHL seasons; live Yankees, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Devils, Islanders, and Sabres; pay-TV and legacy Gotham subscribers continue at no additional cost; Gotham migration timing to be announced), July 29, 2026 — https://finance.yahoo.com/media-advertising/articles/dazn-exclusive-direct-consumer-streaming-120000386.html
2. Sports Video Group — "DAZN to Become Exclusive DTC In-Market Streaming Home of YES Network, MSG Networks; Gotham App to Shut Down" (networks keep producing/distributing their programming; DAZN takes the consumer streaming role; 24/7 MSG, MSG Sportsnet, and YES feeds included), July 29, 2026 — https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/07/29/dazn-to-become-exclusive-dtc-streaming-home-of-yes-network-msg-networks-gotham-app-to-shut-down/
3. Cord Cutters News — "Up to 10 NBA Teams Could Soon Have a New Streaming Home as DAZN Eyes Local Rights" (summarizing Sports Business Journal: DAZN close to deals with seven more NBA teams — Grizzlies, Spurs, Pacers, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Magic, possibly Hornets and Wizards — still unconfirmed; one-year/opt-out structures tied to the NBA's planned 2027-28 hub; CEO Shay Segev says more teams "will follow very soon"), July 29, 2026 — https://cordcuttersnews.com/up-to-10-nba-teams-could-soon-have-a-new-streaming-home-as-dazn-eyes-local-rights/
4. Cord Cutters News — "YouTube TV Makes It Easier to Get ESPN Unlimited" (updated activation process live July 27 for eligible subscribers who already receive ESPN networks), July 29, 2026 — https://cordcuttersnews.com/youtube-tv-makes-it-easier-to-get-espn-unlimited/
5. Awful Announcing — "Prime Video to produce 'Thursday Night Football' independently, end NBC partnership" (Amazon takes production in-house; NBC Sports had produced TNF for the past four seasons), July 27, 2026 — https://awfulannouncing.com/amazon/prime-video-produce-thursday-night-football-independently-nbc-partnership.html
6. Awful Announcing — "Peacock to integrate within YouTube Premium in major collaboration" (Peacock to be ingested into YouTube Premium in early 2027), July 27, 2026 — https://awfulannouncing.com/peacock/integrate-youtube-premium-major-collaboration.html
7. Awful Announcing — "MLS eyes $400 million TV deal amid crowded soccer landscape" (MLS exploring a national TV package as other soccer leagues target U.S. fans; games currently on Apple's MLS Season Pass), July 26, 2026 — https://awfulannouncing.com/soccer/mls-eyes-400-million-tv-deal-crowded-soccer-landscape-premier-league.html