Reds Fans in Kentucky Will Finally be Able to Stream Games

Cord-cutters, rejoice! Changes are afoot in the world of Major League Baseball that will soon give folks in the Commonwealth of Kentucky the ability to watch the Cincinnati Reds without a cable package.

For years, Reds games were broadcast on Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) like Fox Sports Ohio or Bally Sports Ohio. I will not pretend to try to explain the cash flow between those operations, but the RSN model failed. Now MLB is trying to put the pieces back together to ensure their teams' games will not be removed from television.

Thursday the MLB announced that it will produce and distribute games for the Reds during the 2025 season. With this agreement, fans who reside in the local viewing area will actually be able to stream the games online. Under the previous agreement, those broadcasts were blacked out.

"The Reds had an average reach of 1.1 million households on its RSN during the 2024 season. With MLB's direct-to-consumer streaming option, Cincinnati's games will be able to reach approximately 13.5 million homes across seven states in their region," the MLB said in a release.

The Reds are the seventh team to make a similar agreement with Major League Baseball. Details on how much it will cost are unclear, but last year the Diamondbacks and Padres charged $19.99 per month or $99.99 for a full season of access to all local broadcasts.

I am admittedly a casual Reds fan, but there have been times when I needed to lock in to watch Elly De La Cruz's wizardry, until cord-cutting got in the way. Now casuals don't have an excuse to miss the start of the Terry Francona era.

More Good News for Reds and Kentucky Fans

Speaking of the Terry Francona era, the new manager is keeping a few things consistent. He shared who will be a part of his first coaching staff with the Reds and a former Wildcat is still in the mix.

Collin Cowgill was hired to be the Reds' first base coach ahead of the 2023 season and he's keeping that role for 2025. A Lexington native and Henry Clay product, Cowgill was a third-team All-American during his final season at Kentucky. He spent six seasons in the big leagues and continued to play professionally until 2020. Now he's getting another shot on what should be a good ballclub with Tito running the ship.