The Cincinnati Reds are heading to a new home for their local broadcasts. After failing to reach a new deal, the team is parting ways with Diamond Sports Group, as first reported by The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. MLB will produce and distribute Reds games starting in 2025. This new arrangement will expand the team’s local reach. Fans within the Reds’ home territory can watch games on TV or stream them digitally without blackouts.
“Major League Baseball is proud to serve fans of the historic Cincinnati Reds franchise by expanding the reach of their games and removing blackouts for fans in its expansive territories,” said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media.
“Reds fans will enjoy high-quality production, improved picture quality and greater access to the game their favorite team’s players.”
MLB to produce and distribute local games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2025. pic.twitter.com/T7MY2FuNHp
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) November 14, 2024
Reds 2025 Games to Be Produced and distributed by MLB
Last month, MLB announced plans to produce and distribute local games for seven teams in 2025. This included the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins. This move follows the league’s successful servicing of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres during the 2024 season.
In 2024, MLB produced local games that featured special elements typically found in nationally televised broadcasts. These included the Ump Cam, live look-ins to the MLB Replay Operations Center, Wire Cam and on-field locations for pregame and postgame coverage. As the owner and operator of MLB Network since 2009, the league has produced live games for 16 seasons.
The Reds’ local broadcasts on Bally Sports reached an average of 1.1 million households last season. MLB is expected to expand the Reds’ broadcast reach to approximately 13.5 million homes across the region.
In a filing on Wednesday, DSG, owner of the FanDuel Sports Network Channels, announced revised agreements with the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers. This confirmation ends uncertainty about whether the teams would return to Diamond’s broadcast network.
The Rays and Tigers join four other teams – the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals – are returning to Diamond’s broadcast network in 2025.
Main Photo: © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
