So, you want to sit down, crack a drink, and watch the Cincinnati Reds. Simple, right? Well, if you’ve been following the news lately, it’s basically anything but. Finding the Cincinnati Reds baseball TV schedule in 2026 has turned into a bit of a scavenger hunt, and honestly, it’s because the whole regional sports network (RSN) world is currently on fire.
If you’re confused, you aren't alone. Even the team executives seemed a bit lost for a minute there.
The FanDuel Sports Network Drama
Basically, here is the deal. For a while, we thought everything was set. Back in November 2025, the Reds announced they were sticking with FanDuel Sports Network (formerly known as Bally Sports) for the 2026 season. It felt like stability. Then, things got weird.
In early January 2026, reports hit that Main Street Sports Group—the folks running FanDuel Sports Network—missed payments to other teams, like the St. Louis Cardinals. This triggered a massive domino effect. On January 8, 2026, the Reds officially joined eight other MLB teams in opting out of their contracts with FanDuel.
Wait, what does that actually mean for your TV?
It means the "old way" of just tuning into the same channel you’ve had for years might be gone. As of right now, the Reds are expected to have their games produced and distributed directly by Major League Baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred has basically promised that no matter what, fans will have a way to watch.
Where to Find the Games Now
Since the FanDuel deal is essentially toast, the Cincinnati Reds baseball TV schedule is migrating to a new home. If the pattern follows what happened with the Diamondbacks and Padres, MLB will take over the broadcast.
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- Local Cable and Satellite: You’ll likely find the games on a new "MLB local" channel. Providers like Spectrum, Altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell), and DirecTV usually pick these up quickly.
- MLB.TV (In-Market): This is the big win. For years, if you lived in Cincy, you couldn't use MLB.TV because of blackouts. Now, you’ll likely be able to buy a "Local Team" package. No blackouts. No VPN nonsense. Just the game.
- National Broadcasts: Some games are still locked behind national contracts. Think Apple TV+ on Friday nights or Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.
Opening Day and Beyond
The Reds are slated to kick things off at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, March 26, 2026, against the Boston Red Sox. That’s a massive interleague matchup for Opening Day.
Because the TV situation is in such flux, the actual "channel number" on your cable box might change a week before the season starts. Kinda stressful, honestly. Most experts, including those at Redleg Nation and Sports Business Journal, expect the price for a streaming-only local package to land somewhere around $19.99 a month or roughly $100 to $130 for the full season.
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Addressing the Blackout Headache
The biggest misconception about the Cincinnati Reds baseball TV schedule is that blackouts are a permanent law of nature. They aren't. They were a byproduct of those massive, exclusive RSN contracts. Since the Reds opted out of the FanDuel deal, those exclusivity walls are crumbling.
If MLB Media takes over the production, they want your money directly. They don't want to black you out; they want you to subscribe to their app. If you live in the "Reds Territory"—which includes parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, and even North Carolina—2026 might be the first year you can legally stream every single game without a cable box.
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How to Prepare for the 2026 Season
Don't go canceling your cable just yet, but keep your remote handy.
- Check your cable provider's lineup in March. Look for "MLB Local" or a similar placeholder channel.
- Watch for the MLB.TV local launch. Once the official "Reds-only" streaming package is announced, it’ll be the most reliable way to watch.
- Follow the beat writers. Guys like Bobby Nightingale or the crew at the Cincinnati Enquirer usually get the specific channel numbers first.
The reality is that the way we watch baseball is changing fast. It’s messy. It’s annoying. But at the end of the day, Elly De La Cruz is still going to be at shortstop, and as long as there’s a camera there to catch it, we’ll find a way to watch.
Keep an eye on the official Reds website as we get closer to Spring Training in February. That is when the final "linear" (traditional TV) channel list will be set in stone.