Get ready to watch every pitch as the Kansas City Royals aim for a postseason push. Our complete TV guide has you covered from start to finish.
How To Watch the Kansas City Royals
Goodbye FanDuel Sports, hello Royals.TV
Watching the Kansas City Royals will be a bit different now that they’ve moved away from FanDuel Sports Network and partnered with MLB for their local broadcasts.
Fans who live in the team’s broadcast region must tune in to Royals.TV for most home and away games throughout the season. The team should be fun to watch again in 2026 after two straight seasons of 80-plus regular-season wins.
I created this guide for Royals followers of all kinds—whether you’re a lifelong die-hard, a newcomer who just fell in love with the team, or a general MLB fan keeping tabs on the league. Keep reading to learn all the ways to watch the Royals for all 162 games—and potentially beyond.
Spring into baseball with DIRECTV!
DIRECTV has the most MLB games, including Spring Training, period.* Not only that, but this season you can catch the World Baseball Classic and tons of college ball streaming on your favorite devices. With so much live action on deck, it's time to get your game together by scouting DIRECTV's packages today.
*Claim based on total games carried on Nat'l and combined local Regional Sports Networks. RSNs avail. with CHOICE package or higher. Avail. of RSNs varies by ZIP code and pkg. Blackouts apply.
Where to watch the Royals—local TV breakdown
As I mentioned above, Royals.TV is the new in-market home for Kansas City Royals baseball. Right now, that channel is only available to stream via MLB. But it’ll hit several pay-TV providers like DIRECTV and Spectrum in time for Opening Day.
If you live outside of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and most of Missouri, you’ll need either MLB.TV or MLB EXTRA INNINGS to watch the Royals. MLB.TV is perfect for cord-cutters, while MLB EXTRA INNINGS is more for people with traditional cable or satellite TV setups.
| Channel | Starting price | Coverage | Available on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royals.TV | $99.99/season | Most in-market games | MLB.com, MLB app, DIRECTV, Spectrum |
| MLB.TV | $29.99/mo. | Most out-of-market games | MLB and ESPN apps |
| MLB EXTRA INNINGS | $149.99/season | Most out-of-market games | Cable and satellite services |
Where to watch the Royals—national TV breakdown
The Royals will have a selection of games airing on networks like FOX, FS1, ESPN, and Peacock. Throughout the season, it’s likely that some matchups will end up on Apple TV, as well. These games are available nationwide, regardless of market.
If you want to see every possible national network airing MLB games this season, just hit the drop-down menu below.
| Network | Coverage | Available on |
|---|---|---|
| Apple TV | Friday Night Baseball exclusive games | Apple TV subscription ($12.99/mo.) |
| ESPN | Select regular-season games | Cable, satellite, live TV streaming services |
| FOX | Saturday MLB games, select primetime matchups, All-Star Game, World Series | Cable, satellite, live TV streaming services |
| FS1 | Saturday regular-season games, select postseason games (Division Series, League Championship Series) | Cable, satellite, live TV streaming services |
| MLB Network | Regular-season national games, simulcasts, showcase matchups | Cable, satellite, select live TV streaming services |
| NBC | Select Sunday MLB games | Cable, satellite, live TV streaming services |
| Netflix | Exclusive events (Home Run Derby, MLB at Field of Dreams) | Netflix subscription ($7.99–$24.99/mo.) |
| Peacock | Exclusive Sunday MLB games | Peacock Premium subscription ($10.99–$16.99/mo.), NBCSN (simulcasts) |
| TBS | Regular-season Tuesday night games, select postseason games (Division Series, League Championship Series) | Cable, satellite, live TV streaming services |
Best TV plans for watching the Kansas City Royals
Because MLB has a relatively fractured viewing landscape, no single service will get Royals fans every game in any given season. You will generally need a base live TV service for national broadcasts, plus a couple of standalone streaming apps. Luckily, though, I have all the information you need so you don’t have to go searching all over the place for how to watch the team.
For in-market fans, I recommend DIRECTV because it perfectly combines that major national coverage with your local games. Royals.TV is a great standalone option for local fans, too, but it won’t give you those national channels. Ultimately, Kansas City fans will need at least three services to watch all 162 games in 2026. I break those down below.
Best Overall
DIRECTV ($89.99–$169.99/mo.) is the best primary TV service for local fans because it carries the national networks alongside the dedicated Royals team channel (ch. 671). Just remember, you must subscribe to the CHOICE™ plan or above to get regional sports coverage.
Exclusive Games
Because Apple TV ($12.99/mo.) is the home of Friday Night Baseball, some Royals games will stream there exclusively throughout the season.
Exclusive Games
Royals fans will need a premium Peacock subscription ($10.99–$16.99/mo.) in 2026 to watch the select games streaming exclusively. It’s also great for fans who also watch the NBA.
Out-of-Market Coverage
If you live far from Kansas City’s TV territory, MLB.TV ($29.99/mo.) is the premier service for streaming out-of-market Royals broadcasts.
Watch the Royals with a free trial
| Packages | Price | ESPN | FOX | FS1 | NBC | TBS | MLB Network | RSNs* | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTV | Five days free, then $89.99–$169.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | View Plans for DIRECTV STREAM |
| Fubo | Five days free, then $14.99–$94.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — | — | ✔ | ✔ | View Plans for FuboTV |
| YouTube TV | Varies, then $82.99/mo. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — | — | View Plans for YouTube TV |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Avail. of RSNs varies by zip code and pkg.
Get tickets to see the Royals!
Buy Kansas City Royals tickets through our partner, StubHub—your source for the best deals on Royals games and more.
How to watch the Kansas City Royals FAQ
What channel are the Royals on?
You can watch in-market Kansas City Royals games on Royals.TV. National broadcasts will air on FOX, FS1, ESPN, and Peacock. Other games could land on Apple TV throughout the season.
Can I stream Royals games without cable?
Yes, in-market fans can stream local games directly through MLB's standalone Royals.TV service, or through a live TV streaming provider like DIRECTV. If you live outside the local broadcast region, you can stream most regular-season games with an MLB.TV subscription.
Why are Royals games blacked out in my area?
MLB uses blackout restrictions to protect the exclusive rights of local networks. If you live anywhere within the Royals' expansive broadcast territory (which covers Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Arkansas), the out-of-market MLB.TV service will black out live games. Fans inside those states can use the in-market Royals.TV service instead.
Can I watch the Kansas City Royals for free?
Yes, you can watch nationally televised games on FOX or NBC for free using a digital antenna. Aside from that, a limited free trial for a live TV streaming service is the next-best option. Most regular-season games require a paid TV plan.
Why you should trust us
Our CableTV.com junior sports writer, Alex Vejar, reviewed the details of the Royals’ 2026 schedule. He then researched which TV and streaming providers offered the most channels to watch Royals baseball games. Using that information, he made a recommendation that he feels is best for Royals fans.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our review methods.
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