Royals return to ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ with multiple prime-time games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals return to Sunday Night Baseball with three Peacock-exclusive games.
- All three Royals games air at Kauffman Stadium and stream exclusively on Peacock.
- Royals face local broadcast uncertainty after Main Street Sports Group split.
The Kansas City Royals will make their long-awaited return to “Sunday Night Baseball” this coming season.
Major League Baseball on Friday unveiled its prime-time Sunday slate in conjunction with NBC Sports and Peacock. The Royals will play three Sunday night games on Peacock during the 2026 season.
Here is a look at those three games:
April 26: Los Angeles Angels at Royals (6:20 p.m. Central Time)
May 10: Detroit Tigers at Royals (6:20 p.m. CT)
Sept. 6: Toronto Blue Jays at Royals (6:20 p.m. CT)
The April 26 game against the Angels will be the Royals’ first nationally televised “Sunday Night Baseball” appearance at Kauffman Stadium since 2016.
Additionally, the Royals will participate in MLB’s “Star-Spangled Sunday” showcase. On July 5, the league will commemorate the 250th Independence Day in America by airing all of the day’s MLB games on the NBC Sports platforms.
The Royals will play host to the Philadelphia Phillies that day, July 5, at 2 p.m. Central on Peacock.
MLB is back working with NBC Sports after 25 years on other networks. The last time the league was on NBC was from 1994-2000, when the network broadcast the World Series, All-Star Games and a Game of the Week showcase.
This year’s schedule across MLB includes 27 prime-time games across the NBC Sports platforms. The network will also telecast opening day games and the Wild Card series this season.
In recent years, “Sunday Night Baseball” aired on ESPN.
The Royals have added outfielders and bullpen depth this offseason. They hope to contend in the American League Central after falling short in 2025. “Sunday Night Baseball” gives the Royals another avenue to showcase their roster to a nationwide audience.
The NBC Sports news comes after the Royals — along with eight other teams — decided to terminate their television partnership with Main Street Sports Group. The parent company, which houses the FanDuel Sports Kansas City network, is undergoing some financial struggles.
Main Street Sports Group could cease operations before the start of the 2026 season if a deal with DAZN is not reached. As a result, at least for the moment, the Royals don’t have a broadcast home — but MLB is ready to step in with support, if needed.
However, Major League Baseball could provide support.
Major League Baseball could take over the Royals’ live TV and streaming broadcasts. In that case, the league would pay the Royals a portion of revenue from streaming subscriptions and TV distribution fees.
The Royals could still negotiate a deal with Main Street Sports Group at a later date. For now, KC is among a number of teams that are still evaluating their options before the season begins.
