Why You Can Trust CNET How to watch Reds baseball in 2019 without cable
From streaming Fox Sports Ohio in Cincinnati to watching MLB.TV out-of-market, Cincinnati Reds fans have plenty of options for following their club this season.
The Cincinnati Reds are counting on a big season from new acquisition Yasiel Puig.
After four consecutive last-place finishes, the Cincinnati Reds shook things up this past offseason by trading for Yasiel Puig and replacing three-fifths of their starting rotation with newcomers Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood. With their revamped rotation along with young sluggers Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker and steady vet and on-base machine Joey Votto, the Reds hope to contend with the Brewers, Cardinals and Cubs in the NL Central this season. And even if the Reds struggle again this year, it's still worth tuning into Reds radio broadcasts for the 46th and final year of Marty Brennaman on the call.
Reds fans who also happen to be cable TV cord cutters have a number of ways to watch the Reds, whether you're in Cincinnati or an out-of-market follower of the club.
Stream the Reds live in the Cincinnati area
In 2019, Reds games will be shown on Fox Sports Ohio in the Cincinnati market. All of the major live TV streaming services, starting with Sling TV for just $25 per month, offer Fox Sports Ohio.
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Fox Sports Ohio is included in Sling TV's $25-a-month Blue package. (The plan is currently discounted to $15 a month for the first three months, which gets you almost to the All-Star break.) You can check to see if you live in the right market for Fox Sports Ohio here. For national broadcasts, Sling TV's Orange plan includes ESPN and ESPN2, and the Blue plan includes Fox and FS1. Both plans offer TBS. The MLB Network is available as part of the Sports Extra add-on, which costs $5 a month for Sling Orange customers or $10 a month for Sling Blue customers.
FuboTV costs $45 per month and includes Fox Sports Ohio for the local Cincinnati market. It also offers Fox, FS1 and TBS for national broadcasts, but not ESPN, ESPN2 or MLB Network. Click here for a list of the regional sports networks that FuboTV carries.
Hulu with Live TV costs $45 a month and includes Fox Sports Ohio. Click the "View all channels in your area" link on its welcome page to see what local channels are offered in your zip code. For national broadcasts, Hulu with Live TV offers ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1 and TBS, but not MLB Network.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes Fox Sports Ohio. It also includes the channels that carry national baseball broadcasts: ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1, MLB Network and TBS. Plug in your zip code on its welcome page to see if Fox Sports Ohio is available in your area.
PlayStation Vue's $50-a-month Core plan includes Fox Sports Ohio. The Core plan also includes ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1, MLB Network and TBS for national broadcasts. You can see if Fox Sports Ohio is available in your area here.
DirecTV Now's $70-a-month Max package includes Fox Sports Ohio. It also includes ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1 and TBS for national broadcasts, but not the MLB Network. You can use its channel lookup tool to see if Fox Sports Ohio is available where you live.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.
Out-of-market Reds streaming
If you're a Reds fan living outside of the Cincinnati area, you can't watch the Reds on Fox Sports Ohio. You can, however, stream their games live with an MLB.TV subscription.
You've got two options:
- Pay $119 a year (or $25 a month) to be able to watch every out-of-market game live or on-demand, and the in-market (home) team with a 90-minute delay from the end of the game.
- Pay $92 a year to watch a single, out-of-market team. In this case, the Redlegs and nobody else.
Both MLB.TV plans also include streams of home and away radio broadcasts. The radio broadcasts aren't subject to the blackout rule, so you can listen to home team games live.