During the Kansas City Royals’ 2015 World Series run, two fans built a portable Royals shrine to keep the team’s mojo alive — the kind of baseball ritual that makes you afraid to wash a lucky hoodie until November. It worked then, but the magic has mostly worn off since.
Kansas City has made it back to the postseason just once in the past decade. The club went 82-80 in 2025, finishing third in the AL Central. That record is the definition of “competitive, but not safe.” The Royals weren’t a doormat, but they also weren’t a lock, and that in-between area is where front offices start buying specific upgrades.
This offseason reads like a team trying to turn close losses into dull wins, bringing on a little more firepower alongside Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals added outfield help (including Starling Marte and Lane Thomas) and kept bolting bullpen pieces onto the late innings (most notably Matt Strahm).
The expectation in 2026 is that Kansas City should be in the “annoying every contender” tier again, with a path to the postseason if the offense doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time. The Royals are building a roster that looks like it wants to win the middle innings and shorten games, which is often the cheapest way to steal five to eight wins.
A source of frustration, though: figuring out how to watch the team. It’s never been more difficult to track national broadcasts, and local fans must buy into a new streaming service to top it off. We’re here to break it all down before the season gets underway.
Also be sure to keep up with the Royals this season on The Athletic.
You can watch MLB games live on Fubo (Stream Free Now!) all season.
Royals games on Royals.TV
In-market fans
Even with a handful of national windows sprinkled in, the Royals’ 2026 home viewing story is mostly a local one. Following the team’s departure from FanDuel Sports Network, Major League Baseball is now producing and distributing games under a new umbrella: Royals.TV.
If you live inside the Royals’ home TV territory, you can watch Royals.TV either through a cable or satellite provider, or you can subscribe directly to stream the games.
There’s also a free option, because baseball occasionally remembers it’s supposed to be a public good: 10 regular-season games will be available over the air in 2026, including broadcasts on KCTV5 (CBS) and KSMO (MyNetwork) in Kansas City. Antenna-friendly, zero login, pure vibes.
What you need to watch: A provider with Royals.TV, or a direct-to-consumer subscription through MLB.TV (starting at $19.99/month). Fans looking for both the in-market Royals.TV and the rest of the league’s out-of-market games can bundle on MLB.TV for $199.99.
Out-of-market fans
Whether you’re a Heartland exile or the kind of person who still thinks a crisp “Royals win” sounds best with barbecue smoke in the air, out-of-market loyalists need MLB.TV for the regional Royals broadcasts.
MLB season ticket holders get an automatic MLB.TV login code, and T-Mobile customers get it for free through their cell service. Returning MLB.TV subscribers keep their plans through the league.
But because ESPN is selling and running the package, all new sign-ups must come through ESPN Unlimited, with a one-month trial included for the newcomers. According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, fans don’t need to keep the ESPN Unlimited plan to access the MLB.TV one, at least not for 2026.
What you need to watch: MLB.TV. It’s $134.99 annually for ESPN Unlimited subscribers and $149.99 for others.
Royals games on national TV
The national TV partners are sorted alphabetically below, with the main days for MLB action listed.
ABC/ESPN
Main days: Sunday for ABC, midweek for ESPN
ESPN and MLB have been tied together since the 1990 season. The stalwart is no longer home to “Sunday Night Baseball,” but its reworked agreement gives it 30 regular-season exclusives across the 2026 schedule.
The Royals lucked into landing the featured Memorial Day broadcast this season, hosting the New York Yankees on Monday, May 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT.
Over-the-air parent network ABC also has a trio of telecasts this year as part of the 30-game purchase.
What you need to watch: ABC is free with an antenna. ABC and ESPN are included with most pay TV providers, and they’re also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription (starting at $29.99/month). Some pay TV providers, like Fubo and a few others, include ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
Apple TV
Main day: Friday
This is home to “Friday Night Baseball,” which started in 2022. That weekly window is usually a doubleheader, free from local blackouts but exclusive to Apple TV.
The Royals will make their first appearance here early in the season. The Milwaukee Brewers will pay an interleague visit to Kauffman Stadium on April 3.
What you need to watch: An Apple TV subscription (starting at $12.99/month).
Fox/FS1
Main days: Saturday for Fox, midweek or Saturday for FS1, All-Star Game
There are 23 “Baseball Night in America” Saturday centerpieces lined up on Fox. The network airs two games at 7 p.m. ET and assigns markets by matchup relevance. Kansas City makes it Saturday night debut on March 28 against the Atlanta Braves. The Royals are set to appear eight times on Fox and FS1.
Some Saturdays are doubleheaders with an FS1 game in the early afternoon. FS1 has an additional weekly spot falling on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Fox and FS1 total more than 85 regular-season games this year.
Come October, Fox has the NLDS and NLCS playoff series, plus the Fall Classic itself. Joe Davis has been on the World Series call since 2022, when he took over for longtime play-by-play voice Joe Buck. John Smoltz has been the color commentator since 2016. Fox’s World Series hold dates back to 2000 and runs through at least 2028.
What you need to watch: Fox is free with an antenna. Fox and FS1 are included with most pay TV providers, and they also stream with a Fox One subscription (starting at $19.99/month).
MLB Network
Main days: Throughout the week
Here’s our backstop, unassuming but reliable. The “MLB Network Showcase” has been around since 2009. The network usually airs a couple of games each week.
What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with MLB Network, typically included in standard or sports plans. MLB Network also streams with an MLB.TV subscription (starting at $134.99/year).
NBC/Peacock
Main day: Sunday, Opening Day
“Sunday Night Baseball” migrates from ESPN to NBC and Peacock, as the Universal network returns to live MLB coverage for the first time in 25 years. NBC, its streamer and the linear NBC Sports Network combine for 27 prime-time games and 34 afternoon ones in 2026.
Some of the Sunday nighters are exclusive to Peacock, including the Royals’ matchup with the Los Angeles Angels on April 26.
The NBC lineup launches with an Opening Day doubleheader on March 26 and concludes with the playoff wild-card series. To trumpet the return, the network has brought on some big names, including Bob Costas, Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo.
Peacock usually has a live game in its “MLB Sunday Leadoff” spot, most of them with noon local starts.
What you need to watch: NBC is free with an antenna, but Peacock requires a subscription (starting at $10.99/month for live sports). NBCSN is included in select pay TV providers.
Netflix
Main days: Opening Night, Home Run Derby, “Field of Dreams”
Already venturing into live sports with NFL Christmas Day, Netflix has three MLB exclusives this season, starting with the 2026 opener on March 25.
July 13 is the Home Run Derby, airing with All-Star festivities. Aug. 13 is the “Field of Dreams” game, a neutral-site showcase in Iowa with the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins. The Netflix arrangement runs through 2028.
What you need to watch: A Netflix subscription (starting at $7.99/month).
TBS
Main day: Tuesday
TBS Tuesdays continue in 2026, but Kansas City isn’t on its first-half slate (through June 30). TBS is also the October lane for the American League and will carry exclusive coverage of the 2026 ALDS and ALCS.
What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with TBS, or an HBO Max subscription (starting at $10.99/month).
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Royals’ all-time leaderboard
- Hits — George Brett (3,154)
- HRs — George Brett (317)
- RBIs — George Brett (1,596)
- Wins — Paul Splittorff (166)
- Ks — Kevin Appier (1,458)
- Saves — Jeff Montgomery (304)
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