Anne Rogers
KANSAS CITY — The Royals will be back on FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City in 2026.
The club announced Wednesday that it exercised its mutual option with Main Street Sports Group, the owner of FanDuel Sports Network. During the 2026 season, Royals broadcasts will remain available in the same places they were over the previous season, including cable, satellite and vMVPD packages, TV Everywhere (TVE) streaming and the network’s direct-to-consumer app, which is available on iOS, Android, smart TVs, connected devices and an add-on to Amazon Prime Video subscriptions.
“There is nothing more important to us than connecting with and making our games available to our great fans,” Royals chairman/CEO John Sherman said in the team’s statement. “Our viewership is growing and continues to rank among the best in baseball both through linear cable and streaming, and we look forward to continuing that strong momentum through our ownership group’s investment and the exciting team J.J. Picollo and his staff are building.”
The option is for one year only, so the Royals will re-evaluate their options again next offseason.
The Royals faced a decision last winter to either stay with FanDuel (previously Bally’s) or find a new way to broadcast games to fans, like joining Major League Baseball’s production group, which produces and distributes broadcasts of several teams. Kansas City decided to stay with the regional sports network due to growth and familiarity with fans.
That thinking held strong this offseason, as the continuity with FanDuel Sports Network was largely expected.
We have exercised our mutual option with Main Street Sports Group, the owner of FanDuel Sports Network, to remain television and streaming broadcast partners for the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/aVQA1gzc6z
According to the team, Royals games this season ranked No. 1 in primetime in the Kansas City area and top 10 in MLB in household rating. Total average minute audience, total unique streamers and total minutes streamed were all up double digits, the team said.
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Royals,” said Sarah Tourville, FanDuel Sports Network’s executive vice president/team partnerships. “Our multiplatform strategy drove strong viewership growth last season, and we look forward to working together to expand their audience reach and drive fan engagement.”
In 2025, the Royals also simulcast 10 games on local, over-the-air channels KCTV5 and KSMO-TV, making those games even more accessible. While there’s no deal in place yet for 2026, the team hopes to offer that again to fans in Kansas City.
The Royals have not yet announced their full broadcast team for next season, but they expect it to be similar to their crew in the past.