CINCINNATI – The Reds and Main Street Sports announced Monday that local television broadcasts of the team’s games in 2025 will be produced and distributed on the FanDuel Sports Network.
The move is a reversal of plans announced in November that MLB Media would handle local Reds broadcasts. Main Street Sports is the new name for Diamond Sports Group, which owned Bally Sports Ohio, the longtime television home of the Reds. Bally Sports has since been rebranded as FanDuel Sports Network.
So while some brand names have changed, the location where fans can find game broadcasts is still the same under this new one-year deal. In 2025, fans will benefit more from what they already know, on the same television channel.
“Representatives from the former Diamond Sports, myself and Phil (Castellini, the team president) have stayed in touch periodically since we made the decision to go to (MLB). Recently, as in the last few weeks, they approached us to re-engage us and discuss our broadcast rights for 2025,” said Doug Healy, Reds’ chief operating officer and chief financial officer. “Major League Baseball was a excellent partner and remains an excellent partner. And they are incredibly supportive of our efforts to continue our relationship with FanDuel in 2025.”
With the exception of select games for national television partners, FanDuel Sports Ohio will broadcast all Reds regular season games, as well as select Spring Training exhibition games, via cable and satellite providers and streaming.
As in previous seasons, the FanDuel Sports Ohio Network will also offer full 30-minute broadcasts before and after the game.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Reds and look forward to collaborating with them to enhance the fan experience,” David DeVoe, COO and CFO of Main Street Sports, said in a statement. “Through our best-in-class partnerships, cutting-edge technology and highly skilled production team, we remain committed to providing high-quality viewing options for local fans. We are confident that our recent agreements and redesigned business model position us to better serve our partners. We appreciate the support of Major League Baseball and the Reds.
With a live streaming package available through the FanDuel Sports Network app, fans in the Reds TV market can still watch games – without local interruption – either by authenticating with their pay TV credentials or purchasing a direct-to-consumer subscription.
Subscription options and pricing will be announced in the near future, Healy said.
As for the TV broadcast team, they’ll probably look pretty familiar to you, but those deals haven’t been finalized yet.
“It was always our intention to retain as many of our on-air talent in 2025. The reason is to keep broadcasting familiar with our fans,” Healy said. “We have a great group of broadcasters and they are familiar with our incoming and outgoing franchise. Baseball had begun to have conversations with our on-air talent. Now that we have made the decision to continue with FanDuel, we are actively aligning our roster for 2025 in order to maintain this continuity for our fans.
On the economic side, Main Street Sports upgraded its previous offerings to broadcast Reds games under the new deal. This should directly affect the club’s payroll and President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall’s ability to take steps to improve the roster. Just last week, Krall said, “We have a little bit, not a ton,” when it comes to payroll flexibility.
“The agreement with FanDuel slightly improves our economy. Ownership remains committed to reinvesting every available dollar into the franchise,” Healy said. “Our goal is to continue to give Nick and his team every available resource the franchise has in 2025. Then it’s up to Nick to decide how best to spend it.
MLB Media will broadcast Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins and Guardians games in 2025 and remains an option for any club in need of a broadcast and streaming partner. Like the Reds, the Brewers recently reversed course from their plans to join MLB Media and returned to FanDuel Sports Network on a one-year deal.
Ultimately, in future seasons beyond 2025, the Reds could see their games produced and distributed by MLB Media.
“The way we look at it is we had two good options,” Healy said. “We had MLB Media and we had FanDuel. For 2025, we’re obviously going down the path of FanDuel. Long term, we intend to partner with MLB Media. Commissioner (deputy commissioner) Noah Garden and the Major League Baseball team have truly created a world-class product We believe they represent a long-term future for enhancing broadcasts for our fans and our league teams. They will be able to distribute across multiple. types of different platforms, which we believe will be a win-win for Major League Baseball fans.