Reds fan can listen to the opening spring training game Saturday on radio — or watch the Reds-Guardians game called by Cleveland announcers on the new Reds.TV streaming service — but fans with cable and satellite services will be in the dark.
The 2026 baseball season opens at 3 p.m. Saturday EST with many more questions than answers.
- Will Spectrum and Altafiber cable, and Dish Network and DirecTV, carry Reds games? If so on what channel?
- Who will be in the Reds TV booth this season? Are John Sadak, Barry Larkin, Chris Welsh, Jim Day and Jeff Brantley back? (Pre- and post-game host Annie Sabo announced earlier this month that she will not be back this season.)
- Why is Welsh, a Reds TV announcer since 1993, listed as a member of the Reds on Radio staff with broadcasters Tommy Thrall and Jeff Brantley on the team’s website?
- Will the new Reds.TV operation, produced and distributed by Major League Baseball, continue the tradition of a half-hour Reds Live pregame and postgame show for each telecast?
- Will any preseason games be available on Spectrum and Altafiber cable, and Dish Network and DirecTV?
- Will the March 26 Reds-Reds Sox Opening Day game be simulcast on a Cincinnati TV station, as it has been for about 15 years on WKRC-TV, WLWT-TV or WXIX-TV?
“I can't fill you in right now. Hopefully we'll able to share those details for you and the fans soon,” says Michael Anderson, Reds director of public relations and photography.
So far, the Reds and MLB have been focused on selling subscriptions to its Reds.TV streaming service. Fans “within the team’s home television territory” can stream all locally distributed Reds games on REDS.TV with no blackouts by buying a one-time 2026 season pass for $99.99 at reds.com/Watch, the team announced Feb. 10.
The Reds this week announced that seven games will be streamed from Arizona, starting with the Cactus League Opening Day game Saturday. Four of the seven games will be from the opposing team’s TV production, with their announcers, including the first two (this Saturday and next Saturday, Feb. 28).
So the Reds TV team doesn’t need to be in place for 10 more days, until the streaming telecast of the Reds-Cubs on Monday, March 2.
Waiting until the last minute before spring games start is not unusual for the Reds. Last year the Reds and FanDuel Sports Network announced its direct-to-consumer streaming package Feb. 20, six days before the first game. The Reds TV team was announced last year on Feb. 12, a week and a half before exhibition play started.
Last year the Reds were in a scramble after canceling FanDuel in November 2024 to go with MLB, then dropping MLB in January to bring back FanDuel.
For this season, the Reds announced in November the team was partnering again with FanDuel — but on Feb. 2, the Reds moved TV rights to MLB. This means that a week before pitchers and catchers reported to Goodyear, MLB and the Reds had to re-invent the wheel to arrange for TV talent, camera operators, producers, TV distribution partners and advertisers.
Here’s what we know about game coverage this spring:
Radio
The Reds Radio Network starts daily broadcasts Saturday on either flagship WLW-AM (700 kHz) or Fox Sports WSAI-AM (1360 kHz).
Saturday’s opener will air on WSAI-AM, with pregame at 2:50 p.m.
Sunday’s Reds-Mariners game will air at 3:05 p.m. on WLW-AM, with pregame at 2:50 p.m.
Streaming
The seven streaming games are:
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 3:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Guardians (Cleveland announcers)
Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3:10 p.m.: Reds vs. Brewers (Milwaukee announcers)
Monday, March 2 at 3:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Cubs
Sunday, March 8 at 4:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Diamondbacks
Tuesday, March 17 at 9:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Guardians (Cleveland announcers)
Wednesday, March 18 at 4:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Rockies
Sunday, March 22 at 3:05 p.m.: Reds vs. Guardians (Cleveland announcers)
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