In a surprising turn of events, the Cincinnati Reds announced this afternoon that they have reached an agreement to keep their games on FanDuel Sports Ohio (formerly Bally Sports Ohio) for the 2025 season. The two sides couldn’t come to a renegotiated deal following the 2024 season and the club announced that they would allow Major League Baseball to produce and distribute their games for 2025.
So what does this mean for you, the fan? It changes things a little bit, but not a whole lot compared to what was expected with a deal with Major League Baseball. The games that aren’t the exclusive national broadcasts (game of the week on FOX, Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, Apple TV game of the week, or the ROKU Sunday game of the week) will all be available through FanDuel Sports Ohio.
Fans can get that station through their local cable or satellite provider. Or if they can’t, which is a problem that many have run into over the last half-decade as providers have dropped the station from their lineup, they can subscribe directly to FanDuel Sports to watch the games via streaming – even in the Cincinnati Reds market.
The pricing for that option is not yet available. The Reds and FanDuel Sports said in the press release that more information regarding DTC (direct to consumer) subscriptions, including pricing, will be announced ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.
When the previous deal with Major League Baseball was announced it sounded as if the pre and post-game shows for games was going to be a lot different than what we had been accustomed to. Mark Sheldon of Reds.com’s further reporting on today’s announced deal quote’s Reds COO & CFO Doug Healy saying they “started to have conversations with our on-air talent. Now that we’ve made the decision to continue with FanDuel, we are actively lining up our 2025 roster in order to keep that continuity to our fans.”
The new deal is an improvement from a monetary perspective from what was previously offered by FanDuel Sports Ohio after the last deal was terminated. The details about how much they are getting is not mentioned. It’s also worth noting as to try and avoid confusion – this statement is about an improvement over what was offered monetarily in the negotiations after 2024 and not an improvement over what was being paid previously by Bally Sports Ohio to the Reds per year on their last television contract.
You can read the entire press release from the Reds below:
The Cincinnati Reds today announced a new linear and digital rights agreement with Main Street Sports, owner of FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports), to produce and distribute Reds game telecasts in 2025.
“Our top priority is to make sure Reds games are accessible to our fans,” said Doug Healy, Reds Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “The decision to stay with FanDuel Sports Network provides continuity for our fans to watch Reds games as in previous seasons, and now with a direct-to-consumer streaming product available through the FanDuel Sports Network app.”
Per the agreement, FanDuel Sports Network will remain the home of the Reds in 2025, broadcasting all in-market games that are not exclusively televised nationally, as well as 30-minute pre and postgame shows. In addition, the agreement includes rights to distribute programming direct-to-consumer (DTC) in-market. Fans will now be able to stream games on the FanDuel Sports Network app by authenticating with their pay TV credentials or purchasing a DTC subscription. More information regarding DTC subscriptions, including pricing, will be announced ahead of the upcoming 2025 season.
“We are eager to continue our partnership with the Reds and look forward to collaborating with them to elevate the fan experience,” said David DeVoe, COO and CFO, Main Street Sports. “With our best-in-class partnerships, cutting-edge technology and highly skilled production team, we remain committed to delivering high quality viewing options to local fans. We are confident that our recent agreements and reimagined business model position us to best serve our partners. We are appreciative of the support from both Major League Baseball and the Reds.”
The Reds previously announced an arrangement with Major League Baseball to produce and distribute their local games for the 2025 season. The rights agreement with FanDuel Sports Network will replace that arrangement.
“Major League Baseball has been an incredible resource for all the Clubs navigating the complexities of the rapidly changing media landscape,” said Phil Castellini, Reds President and CEO. “The Reds are extremely grateful to Commissioner Manfred and Major League Baseball for their continued support and collaboration.”
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