Cincinnati Reds Partner with Gray Media and WXIX FOX19 to Bring Fans Free Over-the-Air Reds Games
Rhea-AI Summary
Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a two-year deal to simulcast 10 regular-season games per season on free over-the-air TV, beginning with Reds Opening Day on March 26. Games will air on Gray-owned stations, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, and across Reds Country in seven states, reaching 17 communities.
The schedule includes Opening Day and nine “Red Hot Mondays,” with all times listed in EST. Coverage will feature WXIX FOX19 reporting and regional sports staff.
Positive
- Two-year agreement for OTA simulcasts of Reds games
- 10 regular-season games per season, including Opening Day
- Distribution across seven states and 17 communities
- Gray reaches ~37% of US television households (company-stated)
Negative
- Limited scale: only 10 games per season may constrain impact
- Regional reach: simulcasts limited to Gray-owned stations and affiliates
News Market Reaction – GTN
In the Mar 9 session, GTN declined 3.90%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Argus tracked a trough of -2.4% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 13 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Partnership Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24 | Sports partnership | Positive | +0.0% | Multi-year regional TV deal for Portland Fire and Thorns games. |
| Feb 12 | Sports partnership | Positive | -3.3% | Expanded Cardinals Home Plate package with hundreds of OTA programming hours. |
| Feb 03 | Sports partnership | Positive | -2.0% | Extended 2026 Royals partnership delivering select free games across 8 states. |
| Nov 11 | Sports partnership | Positive | -3.2% | Expanded Grizzlies package of seven free games across multiple Southern markets. |
| Aug 28 | Sports partnership | Positive | -2.4% | Dallas Stars NHL simulcast of 17 games across 15 outer markets. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Sports broadcast partnerships have typically seen flat-to-negative next-day moves for GTN.
This announcement continues Gray Media’s strategy of partnering with major sports franchises to expand free over-the-air coverage. Recent partnership deals with the Portland Fire and Thorns, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Stars all focused on multi-market distribution of live games and related programming. Despite generally positive strategic implications, these five partnership headlines produced an average next-day move of about -2.17%, indicating subdued or cautious market reactions to this theme so far.
Key Terms
over-the-air (ota) television technical
simulcast technical
full-power television markets technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
ATLANTA, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Cincinnati Reds today announced a new partnership with Gray Media and WXIX FOX19 to simulcast a select number of regular-season Reds games on free, over-the-air (OTA) television.
Under the two-year agreement, Gray Media will simulcast 10 regular-season games per season, including Reds Opening Day on March 26, making the broadcasts available to fans on Gray-owned television stations in Cincinnati, Rock Entertainment Sports Network, and throughout Reds Country in seven states.
The first simulcast will air on Reds Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, followed by nine additional “Red Hot Mondays” games. All game times are EST.
| Thursday, March 26 | Reds vs. Boston Red Sox | 4:10 p.m. |
| Monday, April 20 | Reds at Tampa Bay Rays | 6:40 p.m. |
| Monday, May 4 | Reds at Chicago Cubs | 7:40 p.m. |
| Monday, May 18 | Reds at Philadelphia Phillies | 6:40 p.m. |
| Monday, June 1 | Reds vs. Kansas City Royals | 7:10 p.m. |
| Monday, June 8 | Reds vs. San Diego Padres | 9:40 p.m. |
| Monday, June 15 | Reds vs. New York Mets | 7:10 p.m. |
| Monday, July 20 | Reds at Seattle Mariners | 9:40 p.m. |
| Monday, August 31 | Reds vs. San Diego Padres | 6:40 p.m. |
| Monday, Sept. 14 | Reds vs. L.A. Dodgers | 6:40 p.m. |
“Making Reds baseball available through over-the-air television is a win for our fans,” said Doug Healy, Reds Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “Our partnership with Gray Media provides fans in 17 communities throughout Reds Country another opportunity to experience the excitement of Reds baseball.”
The games can be seen on Gray Media stations in the following markets:
| Ohio: | Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo |
| Kentucky: | Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville |
| Indiana: | Evansville, Ft. Wayne, South Bend |
| West Virginia: | Charleston-Huntington |
| Tennessee: | Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis |
| North Carolina: | Charlotte |
| South Carolina: | Greenville-Spartanburg |
"Gray's extensive television station footprint provides a great home for Reds baseball, free over-the-air," said Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gray Media. "We appreciate our relationship with the Reds, Major League Baseball, and most importantly, the fans."
Fans will be able to see expanded Cincinnati Reds coverage on WXIX Fox19 from their award-winning reporters, including the FOX19 Sports Team of Joe Danneman, Jeremy Rauch, Gabi Sorrentino, and Regan Holgate. Danneman, FOX19’s Sports Director, has won three regional Emmy Awards for his work and was also named the 2024 Ohio Sports Broadcaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
# # #
About Gray Media:
Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets serving 114 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately
Gray Contact:
Sandy Breland | Executive Vice President and COO | 404-266-8333
