A week before Reds pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Arizona, the Reds have turned to Major League Baseball’s Local Media division to produce and distribute TV games this season.
Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported Monday that the Reds, Royals, Marlins and Cardinals are leaving the financially troubled Main Street Sports, which operates the regional FanDuel Sports Networks.
Sources confirm Marlins, Reds, Royals leaving Main Street along with Cardinals for MLB. Main Street was offering the Reds about $42 million to stay with the company, down from the $52 million they would have been owed in 2026 under the torn-up deal. https://t.co/3kzwLr198m
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 2, 2026
The Reds confirmed the news at 6 p.m. Monday. Under the new agreement, fans in the team’s home television territory will be able to watch all locally distributed Reds games via cable and satellite providers or stream digitally on Reds.TV without blackouts.
“Partnering with MLB will allow fans to continue watching Reds games on the platforms they’ve always used, including cable and satellite, as well as direct‑to‑consumer streaming with no blackouts,” said Doug Healy, Reds chief operating officer and chief financial officer in the news release. “MLB’s production expertise and resources ensure our fans will enjoy a high-quality viewing experience for every game.”
Reds TV streaming subscriptions will be available soon. Prices are expected to be $99.99 for the season or $19.99 per month, according to the team.
The Reds say that it is “our understanding that if you currently get Reds games from a cable or satellite provider, you do not need to purchase anything additional. Our expectation is that fans will be able to get Reds games from the same provider in 2026.”
Information on cable and satellite providers, including specific channel locations, will be announced at a later date along with the Spring Training broadcast schedule, the Reds say.
From the release: "In recent seasons, MLB-produced local games have incorporated national-level innovations, including live drones, Wire Cam, RF cameras with a shallow depth-of-field cinematic look, and two Umpire Cam formats—the mask-mounted camera behind home plate and the chest-mounted camera in the field. These broadcasts have also delivered unprecedented player access, introducing multiple first-of-their-kind moments for MLB local coverage."
More good news for Reds fans: When MLB has taken over production and distribution for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, the teams’ TV announcer teams were kept intact. However, the length of the Reds pre- and post-game shows could be changed by MLB, sources say.
Here's a link to the Reds TV frequently asked questions page.
Three years ago, the Reds were almost the first team to have MLB take over their telecasts. MLB was prepared to take over the Reds TV network on May 6, 2023, if Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports) did not pay the club its rights fee for Bally Sports Ohio. The Reds got paid, and the team continued with Diamond’s Bally Sports (which was rebranded last year as Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network).
Also in 2023, Spectrum and Altafiber cable systems were prepared to move the Reds to another channel on their cable systems if the TV rights switched back to the Reds.
Last month, the Associated Press reported that the Reds and nine other teams — the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays — had terminated their contracts with Main Street. Since then apparently the Reds were waiting for Main Street to secure new financing.
At the time, Baseball Commissioner Bob Manfred promised that “fans are going to have the games” on TV this year.
According to The Athletic's Drellich, “Main Street was offering the Reds about $42 million to stay with the company, down from the $52 million they would have owed in 2026 under the torn-up deal."
Puck reporter John Orand, who has been covering baseball TV rights since before Diamond’s bankruptcy in 2023, says on X that his sources say that “six of the nine MLB teams with Main Street Sports are moving their media rights to the league. The Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Cardinals and Reds told MLB of their plans over the weekend. The other three — Braves, Tigers, Angels — have not been decided."
Sources: Six of the nine MLB teams with Main Street Sports are moving their media rights to the league. The Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Cardinals and Reds told MLB of their plans over the weekend.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) February 2, 2026
The other three--Braves, Tigers, Angels--have not been decided.
Much more in…
Reds pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz., next Tuesday, Feb. 10. The first spring game on Saturday, Feb. 21, will be broadcast on local radio.
The Reds have dropped FanDuel twice in the last 15 months. The club announced in November 2024 that Major League Baseball would produce and distribute games. Two months later, the Reds reversed course and reached a new deal with FanDuel for the 2025 season which included a new direct-to-consumer steaming option “to give fans throughout the Reds regional TV territory access to its Reds coverage with no local blackouts.”
Baseball created the MLB Local Media Division in 2023 as regional sports networks financially collapsed due to cable TV cord-cutting.
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