The Braves launched BravesVision, their own TV Network for local game production and distribution, ahead of the 2026 season, following the collapse of FanDuel Sports Networks. And according to Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller, the new TV Network, which was officially formed in February, is already showing impressive yields.
“The economics right now support our decision,” Schiller told Front Office Sports. “A month into this, we can safely say we have made the right decision, not just for the Atlanta Braves and the business of the Braves, but also our fans… We believe we’re not only economically viable, but we’re maximizing that [opportunity], which we would equate to where we were previously, maybe even beating that. We’re also reaching more fans.”
Schiller’s confidence comes at a time when some clubs are facing much grimmer realities following the recent local broadcast upheaval across the league. Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio equated his team’s shift from its FanDuel Sports Network deal to MLB Media’s in-house model to a $20 million loss.
However, BravesVision’s success isn’t necessarily easily replicated for every club struggling to match the windfall of old media deals. Atlanta is the beneficiary of several unique circumstances, something Schiller is well aware of.
“The Braves are different in so many ways from some of our peers,” he said. “We’ve always had a substantially different way in how we approach the marketplace, and we have television in our DNA. In many ways, we’re now returning to those roots.”
Atlanta, a historically successful club that has won four World Series, also boasts a local market broadcast territory that encompasses an expansive part of the southeastern United States. Schiller emphasized the importance of creating and maintaining the club’s relationship with distributors, calling back to the broadcasting lineage baked into the Braves’ DNA by former owner Ted Turner, the founder of TBS.
“A big piece of this hinges on your ability to secure those relationships and partnerships with the major distributors,” he said. “So fundamentally, to this right, it starts with doing deals with the likes of Comcast, Spectrum, DirecTV, Cox, Fubo, I’ll just name those five to begin with. You have to have those relationships. If you don’t have those, none of this works.”
BravesVision has undergone its share of growing pains, such as a streaming issue during a road game in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels, but the network has rolled with the punches, leading to an experience that TV play-by-play voice Brandon Gaudin says feels like “the old TBS days.”
Schiller didn’t provide any specifics relating to the financials, but more details are expected to emerge in the Braves’ first-quarter earnings report on May 1, and an even clearer picture should take shape in the second-quarter report.
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