Kansas City, Mo.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — There will be a second year of broadcast television coverage of the Major League Baseball franchise that won the 1985 World Series and has enjoyed a renaissance amid negotiations to build a new stadium in the Power and Light District.
A refreshed partnership is now in place as Spring Training ramps up ensuring Gray Media-owned KCTV-TV and KSMO-TV in Kansas City remain limited over-the-air broadcast partners with the Kansas City Royals.
To be clear, the majority of the Royals’ games will remain on pay television. For Gray, “select” Royals games will air on either KCTV or KSMO in addition to broadcast partners in 18 DMAs that are within the territorial rights of the Royals.
Among the telecasts the Gray Media stations will air are the Royals’ home opener at their current longtime home, Kauffman Stadium, on March 30 against the Minnesota Twins.
It’s the first time since 2007 that a Royals home opener will be broadcast for free over-the-air in Kansas City.
A total of 10 regular-season Royals games will air on Gray Media’s K.C. stations. Barring any late changes, the expected broadcast schedule includes:
April 3 – vs. Milwaukee Brewers
April 24 – vs. Los Angeles Angels
May 22 – vs. Seattle Mariners
June 12 – vs. Houston Astros
June 19 – vs. St. Louis Cardinals
July 17 – vs. San Diego Padres
August 7 – vs. Chicago Cubs
August 21 – vs. Detroit Tigers
September 7 – vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Labor Day)
“We’re thrilled to partner with the Royals again in 2026 to provide free over-the-air Royals games to a championship fan base here in Kansas City,” said Curtis Miles, GM of KCTV-TV for the last three years. “This partnership exemplifies our commitment to bringing quality sports entertainment to the community we serve, and we’re proud to also highlight the exceptional work the Royals do to make Kansas City better.”
Royals President of Business Operations Cullen Maxey expressed enthusiasm for the expanded partnership, saying, “We know that KCTV5 helped bring the personalities and talents of our exciting team to a broader audience, so we’re thrilled to continue and grow our partnership. We want to build those connections with fans, and we’re thrilled they can continue to access our games on cable, streaming, and local TV.”