Cincinnati Reds

What Cincinnati Reds does

The Cincinnati Reds are a privately held Major League Baseball franchise founded in 1869 as the Cincinnati Red Stockings, one of the oldest professional baseball clubs in the United States. The franchise competes in the National League Central Division and plays its 81 regular-season home games at Great American Ball Park, a 42,271-seat venue on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati that also serves as the team's headquarters. Operations are supported by a vertically integrated player development pipeline that includes wholly-owned Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats, Single-A affiliate Dayton Dragons, and a spring training facility at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona. Under President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall and Manager Terry Francona, the team is currently navigating a 31-year playoff drought and a difficult 2026 season, with a 39-42 record as of late June 2026 and the worst record in MLB (17-31) since May 1, 2026.

The Reds generate revenue through five primary streams: ticket sales and season memberships at GABP, broadcasting rights (including the direct-to-consumer REDS.TV streaming subscription at $74.99 per season), merchandise sales via MLB.com and the on-site team store, corporate sponsorships (notably Avocados From Peru, BetMGM, KIA, Roto-Rooter, and Toyota), and in-park concessions. Distribution runs through a mix of direct-to-consumer channels — the MLB.com/reds website, the MLB mobile app, the MLB Ballpark app, and SeatGeek integration — plus regional radio affiliates across multiple states and the European Shop for international merchandise. The fan base is segmented horizontally across the Cincinnati metropolitan area (primary), the national "Reds Country" diaspora (streaming and merchandise), and corporate partners (sponsorships), with the Reds Community Fund, Reds Youth Academy, Redlegs Run, and Unity in the Community programs anchoring a community engagement function that extends the brand beyond the 162-game schedule.

The Reds occupy a structurally privileged but operationally stressed position: an MLB charter is a finite regulatory asset (one of 30) that confers national revenue sharing, while the team itself is pursuing a cost-controlled, farm-system-driven competitive model. The core competitive engine is the minor league pipeline (Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, Chase Burns, Edwin Arroyo), which the front office is leaning on explicitly as free-agent spending under Krall has drawn public scrutiny over $109 million in failed signings.

Name

Cincinnati Reds

Legal name

Cincinnati Reds

Website

https://reds.mlb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Cincinnati Reds are a privately held Major League Baseball franchise founded in 1869, competing in the NL Central and playing home games at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, generating revenue through tickets, REDS.TV streaming, merchandise, sponsorships, and concessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Baseball Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Leagues (MPAKAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Major League Stadiums (MPAKAEAA), League/Team-Owned Digital Broadcast Networks (MPAKAOAC), Team & League Branded Merchandise Retail (Non-Apparel) (CRAMAOAF)

Keywords

• Professional baseball games
• Sports entertainment
• Live game streaming
• Sports ticketing
• Team merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single-game tickets, season memberships, group tickets, and premium seating at Great American Ball Park
2. Broadcasting Rights: REDS.TV streaming subscription service providing live game coverage; regional sports network broadcasting deals
3. Merchandise Sales: Jerseys, caps, apparel, trading cards, and home/office merchandise sold through MLB.com shop and physical store at ballpark
4. Sponsorships: Partnership with Avocados From Peru as Official Avocado and Official Superfood, BetMGM sportsbook partnership, and various corporate sponsorship agreements
5. Concessions and Ancillary: Food, beverage, and merchandise sales at Great American Ball Park during games and events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cincinnati Reds operate a Major League Baseball franchise competing in the National League Central Division, producing 162 regular-season home games per year at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The franchise monetizes that product through single-game and season tickets, premium seating and group/hospitality packages, the REDS.TV streaming subscription ($74.99/season), official merchandise (jerseys, caps, apparel, trading cards), and corporate sponsorship/advertising partnerships across the ballpark and broadcast inventory.

Product overview

The Cincinnati Reds operate as a Major League Baseball franchise offering professional baseball entertainment through their MLB team, home stadium (Great American Ball Park), streaming service (REDS.TV), and ticketing/membership programs. The organization also supports community engagement through the Reds Community Fund, operates an online merchandise store, and maintains spring training facilities at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona. The product portfolio centers on live sports entertainment, game attendance experiences, digital streaming, and community outreach programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reds Tickets and Season Memberships Single-game tickets, season memberships, Pick-6 ticket packs, premium seating, group tickets, suites and hospitality packages sold through reds.mlb.com, the Great American Ball Park box office, and authorized resale partners, allowing fans to attend regular-season MLB games at Great American Ball Park.
• REDS.TV Streaming Subscription Direct-to-consumer live game streaming subscription at $74.99 per season providing Reds fans outside the regional broadcast territory with access to live regular-season game coverage via reds.mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe/reds.
• Reds Official Merchandise and Apparel Officially licensed Cincinnati Reds merchandise including jerseys, caps, men's, women's, and kids apparel, trading cards, home and office items, clearance items, and auction memorabilia sold through the MLB Shop e-commerce storefront and the in-ballpark team store.
• Great American Ball Park Venue and Non-Gameday Events Use of the 42,271-seat Great American Ball Park on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati for Reds regular-season home games and additional non-gameday programming such as Upper Deck Golf, ballpark tours, theme nights, concerts, and private/corporate events.
• Spring Training at Goodyear Ballpark Pre-season spring training games, workouts, and travel packages hosted at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona, providing fans with early-season access to the major league roster before the regular season begins.
• Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising Packages Sponsored ballpark signage, broadcast and radio advertising inventory, in-park promotional nights, and co-branded marketing activations sold to corporate partners across the Reds footprint (e.g., Avocados From Peru as Official Avocado, BetMGM sportsbook partnership).

Quantifiable outcome

• Reds rookie Sal Stewart set franchise record as fastest rookie to reach 50+ RBIs in 75 games
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Avocados From PeruminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 June 2026Designated as the Official Avocado and Official Superfood of the Cincinnati Reds. The partnership includes promotions at Great American Ball Park, a National Avocado Day celebration on July 31, 2026, and community events throughout the Cincinnati region. A co-branded sweepstakes with a 2026 Toyota Tacoma as grand prize was launched to mark the partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Minnesota Twins: AL Central franchise within the same Midwest media footprint; comparable in scale and regional economic dynamics for sponsorship and broadcasting overlap.
• Baltimore Orioles: Comparable small-market MLB franchise historically in a similar position to the Reds — regional fan base, mid-tier RSN market, and reliance on homegrown talent pipelines.
• Detroit Tigers: Regional Midwest MLB franchise; competes for casual fan mindshare and corporate sponsorship dollars in the broader Ohio Valley / Great Lakes region.
• Kansas City Royals: AL Central franchise; similar mid-market operational profile and comparable challenges building sustained competitiveness from a smaller regional base.

Direct peers

• St. Louis Cardinals: NL Central rival and a fellow mid-market MLB franchise; competes with the Reds for divisional standings, regional media rights territory in the Midwest, and corporate sponsors.
• Milwaukee Brewers: Direct divisional rival in the NL Central; comparable small-market MLB franchise with similar revenue mix (tickets, RSN, merchandise, sponsorship) and similar on-field competitive context (currently leading the Reds in the division per source).
• Pittsburgh Pirates: NL Central rival and similar small-market MLB franchise; overlapping regional broadcast footprint and comparable cost-controlled talent pipelines.
• Cleveland Guardians: Same-state MLB franchise based in Ohio; closest geographic peer, competing for intra-state media rights, shared spring training markets, and sponsors targeting Ohio.
• Chicago Cubs: NL Central rival operating in an adjacent Midwest market; competes for regional fan attention, RSN distribution, and sponsorship share within the same division.

Regional players

• FC Cincinnati: Cincinnati-based MLS franchise; competes for the same local sports entertainment dollar, corporate sponsors, and shared-market media attention in Cincinnati.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Reds
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user CincinnatiReds
• Facebookfacebook.com/Reds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cincinnati-reds
• Instagraminstagram.com/CincinnatiReds
• TikToktiktok.com/@CincinnatiReds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cincinnati Reds