Vinnie Pasquantino #9 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates with his teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 11, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jason Miller
Getty Images
Friday marked not only the first day of spring, but also one week until the Royals open the 2026 season.
That symbiotic relationship has long led fans to wax poetically about baseball and the end of winter.
But with the Royals season around the corner, there is still no word on how to watch the team’s games on cable, satellite or another linear method. Major League Baseball will produce and distribute Royals games this season, replacing FanDuel Sports Kansas City.
Cord-cutters already know how to watch. You can stream games on Royals.TV at a cost of $99.99 for the full season.
But the Royals said an announcement on how to watch on cable or satellite will come before next Friday’s opener at Atlanta.
“Our priority is accessibility and the history of teams joining MLB Local Media shows an improved streaming experience and games available on the major cable and satellite providers fans are used to watching,” said Sam Mellinger, the Royals Vice President of Communications. “Fans will know where to watch our games as soon as those deals are finalized.”
The uncertainty is not ideal, but this is the way MLB has operated in the past.
For example, following the 2024 season, MLB announced it would take over local broadcasts of Twins games. But the league didn’t share details on how to watch on cable or satellite until the day of the Twins’ 2025 opener.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote: “Announcing all those carriers and channels went down to the wire and frustrated fans, but about seven hours before the first pitch on Opening Day, the Twins confirmed all the deals in place and the channels for various carriers.”
So the message from the Royals about their television plans: Hold on. Information on that is coming.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 10:41 AM.
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