Bally Sports KC officially debuts Wednesday. Here’s what viewers can expect to see.
Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler will be back on the call Thursday when the Royals open the 2021 season against the Texas Rangers.
However, they won’t be calling the game for Fox Sports Kansas City, because the network is rebranding as Bally Sports Kansas City, starting Wednesday.
Cable/satellite and AT&T streaming viewers will find Thursday’s game where they always have, as the channel will remain the same number as FSKC.
Royals pregame and postgame host Joel Goldberg, analyst Jeff Montgomery and play-by-play announcer Steve Physioc also will be back in their usual roles.
For Sporting Kansas City games, play-by-play announcer Nate Bukaty will return with analyst Jacob Peterson and sideline reporter Carter Augustine.
Viewers who tune in to Thursday’s Royals game will notice a change. The box with the game details in the bottom right-hand side of the screen is gone. A bar with that information will be at the bottom of the screen.
Goldberg and Montgomery will be at a new desk in the left field concourse at Kauffman Stadium.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter,” Bally Sports Kansas City general manager/senior vice president Jack Donovan said in a statement. “We have a forward-looking vision for the future of live sports and engaging fans.”
That includes one day allowing fans to bet on games as they are being played.
The Royals-Rangers game will be the first live event produced by Bally Sports Kansas City. The first game on the network will be Wednesday night’s Oklahoma City Thunder-Toronto Raptors contest, which is produced by Bally Sports Oklahoma.
Here is what Bally has planned for the Royals’ season opener:
- 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: A live, whip-around show that will include updates and stories from MLB, NBA, NHL and pro tennis. This will be shown on all of Bally Sports’ 19 regional networks
- 1:30 p.m.: Royals Live pregame show, which will include coverage of the opening-day festivities
- 3 p.m.: Royals’ game against the Rangers begins
- 6:30 p.m.: A replay of the game
Bally plans to air all but one of the Royals’ 162 regular-season games this season.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 11:58 AM.
