Play ball! The new Reds-MLB Productions television partnership will continue the tradition of simulcasting Opening Day on a free, over-the-air TV station.
WXIX-TV will air the Opening Day game for a second consecutive year when the Reds host the Boston Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. Thursday, March 26, the Reds and Fox 19 announced Monday.
The two-year agreement also gives Channel 19 and owner Gray Media rights to simulcast nine other Monday night games during the season on Gray stations in seven states throughout Reds country, and on Gray’s Cleveland-based Rock Entertainment Sports Network (Channel 19.3) again this year.
“Making Reds baseball available through over-the-air television is a win for our fans. Our partnership with Gray Media provides fans in 17 communities throughout Reds Country another opportunity to experience the excitement of Reds baseball,” said Doug Healy, Reds chief operating officer and chief financial officer, in the media release.
The Reds dropped the FanDuel Sports Network last month to have Major League Baseball produce and distribute TV games this season. Announcers John Sadak, Chris Welsh, Jeff Brantley, Barry Larkin and Jim Day are back again this season.
MLB and the club are offering subscriptions to its Reds.TV streaming service “within the team’s home television territory” with no blackouts for a $99.99 season pass at reds.com/Watch, the team announced Feb. 10.
However, the Reds have not announced a deal for carriage by Spectrum or Altafiber cable, or DirecTV.
Of the nine Monday primetime telecasts, four will be home games. They will be promoted as “Red Hot Mondays.” The schedule:
- April 20: Reds at Tampa Bay Rays (6:40 p.m.)
- May 4: Reds at Chicago Cubs (7:40 p.m.)
- May 18: Reds at Philadelphia Phillies (6:40 p.m.)
- June 1: Kansas City Royals at Reds (7:10 p.m.)
- June 8: Reds at San Diego Padres (9:40 p.m.)
- June 15: New York Mets at Reds (7:10 p.m.)
- July 20:Reds at Seattle Mariners (9:40 p.m.)
- Aug. 31: San Diego Padres at Reds (6:40 p.m.)
- Sept. 14: Dodgers at Reds (6:40 p.m.)
Games also will be seen on Gray TV stations in Dayton, Columbus and Toledo, Ohio; Lexington, Louisville and Bowling Green, Ky.; Evansville, Ft. Wayne and South Bend, Ind.; Charleston-Huntington, W. Va.; Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis, Tenn.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.
“Gray’s extensive television station footprint provides a great home for Reds baseball, free over-the-air,” said Sandy Breland, Gray Media executive vice president and CEO, in the medial release. “We appreciate our relationship with the Reds, Major League Baseball, and most importantly, the fans.”
WXIX-TV aggressively sought the local Bengals TV package in 2024, and added a 10-game Reds rights last year.
Broadcasting Reds games throughout the region is nothing new. Before the popularity of cable TV, WLWT-TV held the Reds’ broadcasting rights for about 25 years and fed the games through 1995 to stations in Dayton, Columbus and well as throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina.
Except for Opening Day the Reds have not broadcast regular season games since 1998.
Fans “will be able to see expanded Reds coverage” on Channel 19, according to the release. Channel 19 has Cincinnati TV’s largest sports staff with sports director Joe Danneman and reporters Jeremy Rauch, Gabi Sorrentino and Regan Holgate.
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