The Reds’ new TV agreement with Major League Baseball will expand the club’s digital reach, giving Cincinnati fans “in the club’s home television territory the opportunity to watch games on television or to stream digitally with no blackouts for locally distributed games,” the Reds and MLB announced Thursday.
Six days after the Reds ended its five-year association with Diamond Sports Group, operators of the FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (formerly Bally Sports Ohio), the Reds announced they will be the seventh team with games produced and distributed by MLB.
With MLB’s new direct-to-consumer streaming option, “Cincinnati’s games will be able to reach approximately 13.5 million homes across seven states in their region,” compared to the Reds reaching an average 1.1 million households on Diamond’s regional sports network, the announcement says.
However, many details are unknown, since the Reds are leaving the 24/7 cable channel which has carried Reds games for more than 30 years as Fox Sports Network, Fox Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Ohio.
“More information about where and how fans can watch will be available closer to the 2025 season,” says the joint Reds/MLB announcement.
It’s also not clear who will call the games. John Sadak and Chris Welsh, who were Bally Sports Ohio contract employees, did not respond to text messages asking if they will be part of the TV team in 2025. Dugout reporter Jim Day is an employee of the Reds, as are radio/TV analyst Jeff Brantley and Reds radio play-by-play voice Tommy Thrall.
MLB promises Reds fans an enhanced viewing experience. Local games produced by MLB include “special features normally associated with nationally televised games including Ump Cam, live look-ins to the MLB Replay Operations Center, Wire Cam, on-field locations for pregame and postgame ... and increased access like in-game interviews with players,” the announcement says.
The Reds ended their association last Friday by selling its stake in the FanDuel/Bally Ohio regional sports network for $1. The Reds had a 20% stake in the regional sports network, according to the Sports Business Journal. The club had a 15-year partnership in the regional network running through 2032, the Sports Business Journal previously reported.
Next season, MLB will add four teams (Reds, Guardians, Brewers and Twins) to the three franchises produced and distributed this year (Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies) after Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy protection in March 2023.
On Thursday a federal bankruptcy court judge in Houston approved the reorganization plan for Diamond Sports Group to emerge from bankruptcy. The company will carry only six baseball teams (Braves, Cardinals, Tigers, Rays, Angels and Marlins), down from 19 two years ago, the Associated Press says. It also has 13 NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, and eight NHL teams, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Associated Press reports.
Diamond bought the old Fox Sports Network from Disney in 2019 for $9.6 billion, then saw revenues fall drastically after viewers cut their cable cord and switched to steaming services.
From the MLB/Reds release:
"Partnering with Major League Baseball ensures a bright future for our televised game coverage. This collaboration provides fans with unprecedented access to Reds games, including direct-to-consumer streaming with no blackouts, while maintaining traditional cable and satellite TV options. And, having MLB’s production expertise and resources behind every Reds game broadcast ensures our fans will have a quality viewing experience,” says Phil Castellini, Reds president and CEO.
“Major League Baseball is proud to serve fans of the historic Cincinnati Reds franchise by expanding the reach of their games and removing blackouts for fans in its expansive territory,” “Reds fans will enjoy high-quality production, improved picture quality and greater access to the game and their favorite team’s players,” says Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner for business and media.
