CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds announced Monday it had reached an agreement to return to their former regional sports network partner for the upcoming season.
The Reds will have their games air locally on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.
Both sides announced in November they were ending their joint venture while Diamond Sports Group was in bankruptcy proceedings. The Reds had a 20% stake in what is now FanDuel Sports Network Ohio. Diamond bought back the team’s stake for $1.
Diamond emerged out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 2 as Main Street Sports Group. The Reds had planned to have their games produced and distributed by Major League Baseball until changing course.
As part of the agreement, cable and satellite subscribers in the Reds TV territory can stream games and other programming on the FanDuel Sports Network app. Subscribers to FanDuel Sports Network on a direct-to-consumer basis will also have access to the games.
Doug Healy, the Reds chief operating officer and chief financial officer, said the decision helps provide continuity for fans to watch games like they had in previous seasons. “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.”
It is the second time in two weeks a team has decided to return to the regional sports network model instead of MLB. The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Dec. 31 it was also going back to FanDuel Sports Network after their deal expired at the end of the 2024 season.
Main Street Sports has the rights for nine MLB teams for the upcoming season. MLB will produce and distribute games for five teams in 2025.
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