DIRECTV Ensures Local Game Access for Nine Teams Being Produced and Distributed by MLB to Continue to Offer the Most Complete MLB Lineup in America

Amidst the transition of several regional sports networks, DIRECTV offers hometown fans of 28 of the 29 U.S.-based franchises their favorite Teams on Opening Day.

DIRECTV today announced a new agreement that delivers nine new channels for MLB Clubs that the league is producing and distributing games, including the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers (Detroit SportsNet), Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Washington Nationals - providing fans in each club's home territory with uninterrupted access to their local games.

"MLB fans can continue to rely on DIRECTV to deliver their favorite local teams," said Rob Thun, chief content officer at DIRECTV. "We remain committed to working with the league and its clubs to keep loyal fans connected."

DIRECTV has the most live baseball games across any TV or streaming plan - with RSNs, dedicated MLB offerings including MLB Network and MLB Network Strike Zone, and top collegiate action from powerhouse baseball conferences like the ACC, Big 12, SEC, and others, all in one place.

DIRECTV previously joined MLB to launch league-operated team channels for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks (2023), Colorado Rockies (2024), Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins (2025). With the addition of the nine clubs, DIRECTV has collaborated with MLB to launch 14 team-specific new channels, representing nearly half of the league's 30 teams.

Out-of-Market Access for Transplanted Fans

Today's announcement also enables DIRECTV streaming customers to add MLB.TV® to watch out-of-market regular-season games from all 30 teams. MLB.TV subscribers can catch all the action on smart TVs, smartphones, and consoles. Out-of-market games remain available to DIRECTV's residential and commercial satellite subscribers via MLB Extra Innings.

Flexible Sports Options for MLB and Other Sports Fans

DIRECTV continues to expand consumer choice, control, and flexibility for the nation's baseball and other sports fans through its industry-first MySports®, a less-expensive, sports-focused offering introduced to streaming homes in January 2025. MySports is an all-inclusive, one-stop shopping sports streaming service, it includes MLB Network and all the major national channels and streaming services currently slated to provide MLB playoff games in October and early November.

In addition to its MLB coverage, MySports features the most popular national sports networks, league and conference channels, local broadcast stations, and a host of other sports programming. DIRECTV has also ensured that anyone receiving ESPN can also utilize the new ESPN stream app, and recently added seven curated channels of ESPN+ content to residential satellite and streaming and DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS customers.

On MLB Opening Day last season, DIRECTV introduced MyHome Team™, a $19.99-per-month add-on for MySports subscribers that gives customers access to their favorite local MLB, NBA, or NHL team. Fans of any of the nine teams with a new MLB-operated channel can get their local games through MyHome Team, so long as they live within that team's home territory.

Serving Fans Home and Away

On an in-market basis, the Reds, Tigers, Royals, Marlins, Brewers, Mariners, Cardinals, Rays, and Nationals pregame, postgame, and live in-game coverage will also be available to sports bars, restaurants, hotels, and any of the more than 300,000 commercial venues serviced by DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS, the industry leader in out-of-home sports distribution. The 162-game baseball season is especially important because it allows commercial establishments to promote game availability nearly daily, helping build consistent patronage during the extended March-November season.

DIRECTV's Regional MLB Commitment

Besides these MLB-operated team channels, DIRECTV was also one of the first major providers to offer the Texas Rangers' independently operated Rangers Sports Network (January 2025), the Chicago White Sox's Chicago Sports Network (October 2024), the Houston Astros' Space City Home Network (October 2023), and the Chicago Cubs' Marquee Sports Network (February 2020).

DIRECTV continues to offer the league's other ballclubs, including the Baltimore Orioles (MASN), Boston Red Sox (NESN), Los Angeles Dodgers (Spectrum SportsNet LA), New York Mets (SportsNet New York), New York Yankees (YES Network), Athletics (NBC Sports California), Pittsburgh Pirates (SportsNet Pittsburgh), and San Francisco Giants (NBC Sports Bay Area) on their respective regional sports networks. It provides Philadelphia Phillies games to fans outside of the Phillies' home territory via MLB EXTRA INNINGS and, now, MLB.TV.

Here are each of the teams involved in today's MLB-DIRECTV agreement, their new MLB-operated channels, channel numbers for DIRECTV streaming, satellite, or U-verse customers, and how they will appear in the programming guide for the 2026 season:

DIRECTV's National MLB Commitment & Playoff Availability

This is MLB's first season under a new three-year national rights agreement that will add NBC and Peacock's new Sunday Night Baseball and Wild Card round for the first time and the return of Sunday Leadoff games to NBC and Peacock. DIRECTV offers both NBC and Peacock, as well as the other major national baseball media partners and their combination of linear channels or streaming services. TBS will continue its Tuesday Night Baseball and its extensive coverage of the Division Series and League Championship Series. FS1 and FOX will continue their "Baseball Night in America" Saturday and weekday games and coverage of the Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series. ESPN shifts its Sunday night games to select midweek games, and Apple TV continues with its Friday night doubleheaders.

DIRECTV recently entered into a new agreement with Apple to make those games available to its streaming and satellite customers, so that anyone who subscribes to Apple TV through DIRECTV will now be able to discover and watch Apple TV's MLB, Formula 1, and MLS matches directly within their DIRECTV experience, without having to exit to a separate app. That means they can avoid navigating different user interfaces and can rely on favorite team designations and recommendation engines to get to the games they want fast, a common complaint as leagues and teams have begun adding more streaming options.

Free MLB Content for All Fans

DIRECTV recently added the MLB FAST channel to MyFree DIRECTV, allowing anyone to stream MLB news, highlights, replays, condensed games, select Minor League games, and other MLB programming free of charge to customers. MyFree DIRECTV features more than 150 channels, including over 35 sports-focused networks from ESPN, NBC Sports, FOX Sports, collegiate conferences, and a wide range of specialty sports services.