Reds broadcasts changing hands could quietly fix a long running problem

The Cincinnati Reds broadcast situation has been a muddled mess for years, but fans finally received some clarity this week. The Reds announced on Monday that Major League Baseball will be taking over production and distribution of the team's games for the upcoming season — a move that was supposed to take place last season.

If you'll remember, there was about a two-month period last winter when MLB was poised to take over as the Reds' broadcast partner for the 2025 season. Reds.TV was set to be transmitted over the airwaves throughout Reds Country last year, but FanDuel Sports Network struck an 11th-hour deal and became the team's linear and digital provider last season. The Athletic (subscription required) is reporting, however, that a similar about-face is not expected to happen this time.

The Reds' deal with FanDuel Network didn't last long. Main Street Sports Group — the parent company of FanDuel Sports Network — has been delinquent in their payments to other MLB franchises, and over the last couple of months, had been trying to find a buyer for their failing product. To date, their attempts have been unsuccessful, and it's time for the Cincinnati faithful to embrace a new era of Reds broadcasting.

Reds get new broadcast partner ahead of 2026 season

According to the team's press release, 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. Subscriptions are not yet available, but prices are expected to be $99.99 for the entire 2026 season or $19.99 per month.

While a few agreements have yet to be finalized, it's assumed that all remaining nine franchises who were entangled in the Main Street mess will be produced by MLB in 2026. Several organizations, including the Cleveland Guardians and Arizona Diamondbacks recently moved their broadcasts away from regional sports networks, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.

All the on-air talent — Jim Day, John Sadak, Barry Larkin, Jeff Brantley, and Chris Welsh — are expected to return in 2026. More details are sure to emerge in the coming days and weeks, including a schedule of spring training games that will be televised next month.