On Wednesday, the Reds announced a much-anticipated agreement with FOX Sports Ohio that extends the network’s visual broadcast rights for another 15 years. FSO has televised Reds games since 1998. Before we analyze what we know about the deal, let’s consider the context.
Important, but not all-important
Local broadcast revenue is important, but not all-important for a major league baseball organization. Teams receive revenue from four primary sources: people who attend games; corporate advertising; MLB profits and revenue sharing; and local broadcast rights, both visual and radio. On average, 25 percent of team revenues comes from the latter.