Don’t Call It a Comeback, but Reds Have Returned to RSN

The accelerating and unlikely momentum of Main Street Sports has gathered more support as the regional sports network operator reached a revised rights agreement with the Reds, the company’s second such new deal in the last two weeks.

As the former Diamond Sports Group recently emerged from bankruptcy with its new name and a reworked rights pact with the Brewers, the National League Central rival Reds made a similar move. Cincinnati had previously elected to go with Major League Baseball’s in-house model for producing and distributing its local games in 2025—to the point of walking away from its 20% equity stake in FanDuel Sports Network Ohio for a single dollar. 

Several weeks of subsequent negotiations between the Reds and Main Street Sports, however, led to a new pact for the coming season back on that network. The agreement includes both linear and streaming rights. 

“Our top priority is to make sure Reds games are accessible to our fans,” said Reds COO and CFO Doug Healy. “The decision to stay with FanDuel Sports Network provides continuity for our fans.”

Main Street Sports now has nine MLB clubs in its portfolio of teams, joining eight NHL teams and 13 more in the NBA. It also has boosted its post-bankruptcy operations by hiring former ESPN executive Norby Williamson as president of production and programming. MLB will now handle five clubs in 2025 through the in-house program. 

The Reds have struggled in MLB’s increasingly big-dollar competitive landscape, reaching the playoffs just once since 2014, and not having won a playoff game since 2012. The team is increasingly seen as an improving one, though, with a solid offseason to date that includes hiring two-time World Series winner Terry Francona as its new manager. Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz is one of the top rising talents in the league.