The channel originally launched on February 9, 1989, as SportsChannel Ohio. It launched as an affiliate of
SportsChannel, a slate of regional sports networks operated as a
joint venture between
Cablevision and
NBC (the owner of
WKYC until 1990). SportsChannel Ohio initially held the broadcast games from the
Cleveland Cavaliers and the
Cleveland Indians. The channel also aired select
Cincinnati Reds games produced by
SportsChannel Cincinnati,
Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and football games, and
Ohio State Buckeyes sporting events (with the exception of football and basketball). In 1997,
News Corporation and
Liberty Media purchased a 40% interest in Cablevision's sports properties including the SportsChannel America networks (as well as
Madison Square Garden and its
NBA and
NHL team tenants, the
New York Knicks and
New York Rangers) in a deal worth $850 million, forming the venture National Sports Partners to run the owned-and-operated regional networks. As part of a gradual rebranding of the SportsChannel networks that began that month, SportsChannel Ohio was rebranded as Fox Sports Ohio in January 1998. The channel was then rebranded as Fox Sports Net Ohio in 2000, as part of a collective brand modification of the FSN networks under the "Fox Sports Net" banner; subsequently in 2004, the channel shortened its name to FSN Ohio, through the networks' de-emphasis of the brand. In February 2005, News Corporation (which
spun off most of its entertainment properties into
21st Century Fox in July 2013) acquired Cablevision's ownership stakes in Fox Sports Ohio and
Fox Sports Florida, following an asset trade in which Fox sold its interest in Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and the Rangers, to Cablevision, in exchange for acquiring sole ownership of the two networks. The channel reverted to the Fox Sports Ohio moniker in 2008 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 Ohio, sister network
SportsTime Ohio, and Fox's 50% stake in the network's Cincinnati sub-feed. However, on June 27, 2018, the
Justice Department ordered their divestment under antitrust grounds, citing Disney's ownership of
ESPN. On May 3, 2019, it was announced that
Diamond Sports Group (a partnership between
Sinclair Broadcast Group and
Allen Media Group) would acquire the channels as part of an agreement with Disney. The sale was completed on August 23, 2019. The network continued to operate under the Fox Sports name until March 31, 2021, when it was rebranded
Bally Sports Ohio as part of a sponsorship deal between Diamond and casino operator
Bally's Corporation. On March 14, 2023, Diamond Sports filed for
chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On October 21, 2024, the channel was rebranded as
FanDuel Sports Network Ohio as part of a new agreement between Diamond and
FanDuel Group. In December 2025, Main Street Sports Group began to miss rights fee payments to sports teams featured on their networks; the company was attempting to sell itself to British sports streaming company
DAZN and would prepare to cease operations if it could not complete the transaction before the end of January 2026.
Puck News reported that as a result of the failed rights payments and cancelled sale to DAZN, Main Street Sports Group intended to wind down operations in spring 2026 following the conclusion of the 2025–26 NHL and NBA seasons. The
Cincinnati Reds were one of the nine MLB teams that terminated their contract with Main Street in January 2026; on February 2, the Cincinnati Reds announced that
MLB Local Media would assume production and distribution of their local telecasts beginning with their 2026 season. Main Street Sports Group will shut down FanDuel Sports Network Ohio on May 6, 2026. ==Feeds==