What Channel Is MLB On in 2026? Every Network and Streaming Home

Baseball's national television map was redrawn for 2026. ESPN restructured its package, NBC came back, Netflix entered the sport, and Sunday Night Baseball changed networks for the first time in 35 years. If you are hunting for a game and cannot find it, this guide sorts out which channel has what.

The 2026 national schedule at a glance

What changed, and why

In November 2025, Major League Baseball announced new three-year agreements covering 2026 through 2028 with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix, filling the packages left open when ESPN's previous deal was restructured.

ESPN signed a three-year deal worth roughly $1.65 billion. It kept 30 national regular-season games — primarily weeknights — but gave up Sunday Night Baseball and the Home Run Derby. In exchange it became the exclusive distributor of MLB.TV, gained exclusive local in-market streaming rights for six clubs, and took Spanish-language rights for its new linear package.

NBCUniversal returned to baseball at nearly $200 million a year, taking Sunday Night Baseball (25 primetime games), MLB Sunday Leadoff (18 Peacock games), the Wild Card round, an Opening Day primetime game, a new Labor Day primetime tradition, the MLB Draft, and the All-Star Futures Game.

Netflix entered at roughly $50 million a season with a small but high-profile slate: the Opening Night game, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and one special event game a year.

FOX and TBS were unaffected — their existing agreements continue.

Who has the postseason

Netflix's baseball slate

Small, but the games are notable ones:

• Opening Night, the evening before traditional Opening Day. In 2026 that was Yankees vs. Giants on March 25.
• The T-Mobile Home Run Derby, moved from ESPN, staged the day before the All-Star Game.
• One special event game each year. For 2026: MLB at Field of Dreams on August 13, Twins vs. Phillies.
• The 2026 World Baseball Classic — all 47 games, exclusively in Japan.

MLB.TV: the big structural change

Out-of-market streaming moved to ESPN. MLB.TV is now sold and distributed through ESPN, on the ESPN app as well as MLB's platforms.

What MLB.TV includes: live out-of-market regular-season games with both home and away feeds, MLB Network within the US, an on-demand archive, and MLB Big Inning.

What it costs: seasonal plans started at $119.99 for ESPN Unlimited subscribers in 2026. Prices drop as the season progresses — a partial-season subscription bought in late summer costs considerably less than a full-season one bought in March.

ESPN Unlimited subscribers can also access 150-plus out-of-market games a season through a "game of the day" offering, separate from a full MLB.TV subscription.

Blackouts still apply. MLB.TV blacks out games in your local market. This is the single most common complaint about the product and it did not change with the move to ESPN.

Local in-market streaming

Six clubs now have exclusive local in-market streaming through the ESPN app: the Padres, Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies. For fans of those teams in-market, this is a meaningful improvement over the regional sports network arrangements they replaced.

Every other club's local rights sit with regional sports networks, local broadcast affiliates, or team-operated streaming products, depending on the market. That landscape has been unstable for several years, so check your specific team's current carrier.

What you need to subscribe to

The antenna is underrated for baseball. FOX's Saturday Baseball Night in America, NBC's Sunday night games, and the World Series are all over-the-air broadcasts. A $35 indoor antenna delivers the sport's biggest games at no recurring cost.

Bandwidth

Budget 10-15 Mbps per HD stream and 25 Mbps or more for 4K. Baseball's long season means more total streaming hours than any other sport, so household data caps are worth checking — some providers still enforce them, and a full season of daily games adds up quickly. If your internet plan has not been reviewed in a few years, comparing current provider tiers for your address is worth the fifteen minutes.

Watching without cable: what each option costs

What each option costs

The cheapest sensible setup

Add MLB.TV at $119.99 only if you follow a team outside your market. Add Apple TV at $119 a year if Friday nights matter to you.

Check your mobile carrier and internet provider's perks page before subscribing — Peacock in particular is bundled into a number of wireless and broadband plans.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is Sunday Night Baseball on in 2026? NBC, with streaming on Peacock and coverage on NBCSN. It moved from ESPN.

Does ESPN still have MLB? Yes, in a different form: 30 national regular-season games, MLB.TV distribution, and in-market streaming for six clubs.

Where is the Home Run Derby? Netflix.

Who has the World Series? FOX.

How much is MLB.TV in 2026? Seasonal plans started at $119.99 for ESPN Unlimited subscribers, with prices falling as the season progresses.

Are local games blacked out on MLB.TV? Yes. MLB.TV covers out-of-market games only.

Which teams stream in-market on ESPN? The Padres, Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies.

Is baseball still on Apple TV? Yes. Apple TV continues to carry Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders.

Bottom line

No single service carries MLB in 2026. Peacock and FOX cover the biggest national windows, Apple TV has Friday nights, Netflix has three marquee events, and MLB.TV through ESPN handles out-of-market viewing. Start by identifying whether you follow one team or the league as a whole — that determines which two or three of these you actually need.