That group of teams reportedly includes the Reds as well as the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.
Reds games have been expected to air on the FanDuel Sports Network locally in Ohio.
“No matter what happens, whether it’s Main Street, a third party or MLB media, fans are going to have the games,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
The Reds haven’t yet commented on recent developments.
Back on Nov. 5, the Reds were among three teams that agreed to an extended media rights deal with FanDuel Sports Network.
At that time, Reds CEO Phil Castellini issued a statement.
He said, “It’s a priority to give Reds fans dependable coverage, great storytelling, and the ability to watch Reds baseball across a variety of platforms, and FanDuel Sports Network delivers all three. Main Street Sports Group has been an exceptional partner, constantly raising the bar in how Reds baseball is produced and distributed to our fans.”
One month later Main Street reportedly missed a payment to the St. Louis Cardinals. That was an early sign of the uncertainty surrounding television rights deals for 2026.
“We are currently working with FanDuel Sports Network, Major League Baseball, and other stakeholders regarding our alternatives for local media distribution,” the Cardinals said in a statement in December. “We remain committed to ensuring that Cardinals games continue to be available to fans throughout our broadcast territory on cable and through direct-to-consumer streaming options in 2026.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds have a long history of airing games on the FanDuel Sports Network, which has previously been named the Bally Sports Network as well as the Fox Sports Network. Last year, the Reds’ television situation was up in the air until an agreement was reached on Jan. 13.
MLB has been able to take over the production of broadcasting games for teams whose television rights deals have fallen through, including the Padres, Rockies, Guardians, Diamondbacks and Twins. Those broadcasts have mostly carried over the announcing teams from those local teams and just shifted how and where the games were available to fans.
Last season, as an example, “Twins TV” was sold as a direct-to-consumer streaming subscription that aired “roughly 150 games.”
“Twins TV” was also available on linear television channels in the market through cable providers like DIRECTTV, Xfinity, Spectrum and Fubo.
Teams around MLB have had to adjust to the challenges that cable networks are facing.
There’s also a financial component connected to recent developments surrounding MainStreet and teams whose games air on FanDuel’s networks. Manfred said local media provides more than 20% of industry revenue.
The Reds’ television contracts have historically had a notable impact on revenue.
“Our focus, particularly given the point in the calendar, is to maximize the revenue that’s available to the clubs, whether that’s MLB Media or a third party,” Manfred said. “The clubs have control over the timing. They can make a decision to move to MLB Media because of the contractual status now. I think that what’s happening right now clubs are evaluating their alternatives. Obviously they’ve made significant payroll commitments already and they’re evaluating the alternatives to find the best revenue source for the year and the best outlet in terms of providing quality broadcasts to their fans.”
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