How to Watch the Kansas City Royals Without Cable

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If you are a Royals fan who wants to watch every game of the regular season, you have a couple of options depending on where you live. One thing is for sure: you don’t need cable. Read on to learn everything you need to know!

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The Kansas City Royals are hoping to break the .500 mark and return to prominence. It has experienced this not that long ago, winning back-to-back American League pennants in 2014 and 2015. However, KC has not finished above .500 in any season since. But what will the future hold?

Are you a long-time Royals fan or one who is new to the club? Regardless, you will most likely want to be able to watch the team play as often as possible. Cord cutters who are in Bally Sports Kansas City’s broadcast area can do so through FuboTV ($85.98/mo) and DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo).

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Everyone else can watch most of those same game broadcasts thanks to an MLB.TV subscription ($24.99/mo).

About the Royals

The Royals, who joined the American League in 1969, have had two periods of success.

The first was from 1976 through 1985. It started off with three consecutive division title-winning seasons that ended with AL Championship Series losses to the New York Yankees.

However, after a playoff-less campaign in 1979, KC finally broke through against the Bronx Bombers, sweeping them in the ALCS to play in its first World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies won that in six games.

After six straight playoff game losses in a pair of five-game sweeps in 1981 and 1984, the team had a season to remember in 1985. That year, they won the Fall Classic for the first time — doing so against in-state rival St Louis. And the Royals had rallied from 3-1 series deficits in the ALCS, against the Toronto Blue Jays, and in the World Series en route to the trophy.

Following that ultimate breakthrough in 1985, it would not be until 2014 for the team to return to postseason play. However, it was a mostly successful run as the Royals won the AL Wild Card Game, the AL Division Series, and the ALCS, going 8-0 in the process. But they finally fell just short of the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, 4-3.

But they did not fall short in 2015, winning it all that season, culminating in a five-game victory over the New York Mets in that campaign’s Fall Classic.

With that said, times returned to being tough after that champagne was consumed. Most recently, KC went 74-88 in 2021, finishing 18 games out of the playoffs.

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Kansas City Royals TV Channels

The vast majority of Royals games are broadcast on Bally Sports Kansas City, a regional sports network (RSN) whose reach extends throughout much of Missouri and Kansas. In addition, fans in places like Des Moines, IA, and Omaha, NE, can watch Royals games through Bally Sports Midwest.

As for the rest of the matchups, they are available through other sources. Some might be picked up for network television coverage by Fox, ABC, and NBC. Others may be shown on ESPN, TBS, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), and MLB Network. A few might only be available online through Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

Watching Royals Games Live

Are you a cord-cutter who still wants to be able to watch the Royals play? Take a look at the available options.

Antenna

Simply using an antenna will allow you to settle down in your comfy chair and catch occasional Royals games. These include all that are shown on Fox, ABC, and NBC. Do note that Fox appearances are much more likely than ones on NBC or ABC. Also keep in mind that all World Series games will be shown on Fox, and numerous MLB playoff games prior to that point will be as well.

Our HD antenna guide will get you set up.

Streaming

Streaming MLB is a bit complicated but essential if you want to watch a lot of games.

FuboTV

FuboTV provides 130+ channel in its base plan that is filled with great sports channels CBS Sports Network, ESPN, Fox Sports, beIN Sports, and TUDN.

It also gives subscribers in the area Bally Sports Kansas City for $85.98/mo.

You get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR and the ability to stream 10 devices at once with FuboTV. For details, see our FuboTV review.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) is a second way that those located in Bally Sports Kansas City’s broadcast area can enjoy streaming access to that channel. You need to subscribe to at least its Choice plan ($99.99/mo) to receive that and any other regional sports networks that you are eligible to get based on your location.

It also offers the MLB Network, TBS, ESPN, and FS1 in its Choice plan. Your local NBC, ABC, and Fox affiliates are included as well. So you will be set for all but a couple of games of Spring Training, regular season, and playoffs.

All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage (online orders only) and simultaneous streaming on unlimited devices at once. See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more information.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free for 5 Days

Other Streaming Services

With that said, this is far from the only streaming service that you can use to watch baseball.

As long as you are okay with not receiving Bally Sports Kansas City or are unable to get it anyway because of your location, consider Sling TV (see our Sling TV schedule and guide). Others to consider are Hulu + Live TV ($69.99/mo), Vidgo ($69.99/mo), and YouTube TV ($64.99/mo) as most Royals games not on that channel may be viewed there.

Don’t miss Brady Singer and Bobby Witt Jr. playing for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic all March for just $20 on Sling TV!

Specialty Streaming Services

Some games stream apart from TV channels:

• Apple TV+ ($4.99/mo): May stream some Friday Kansas City Royals games this season. If it does, note that these will be exclusive streams and, as a result, will not be available on any television channel.
• Peacock Premium ($4.99/mo): Has also secured exclusive rights to stream MLB games. It is believed that each of its streams will occur on Sundays. (Peacock review)
• ESPN+ ($9.99/mo): Another streaming option for watching the Royals, but its streams are not exclusive and are subject to blackout restrictions. (ESPN+ review)

MLB.TV

MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) is a must-have for Kansas City Royals fans outside of that team’s blackout area. However, do note that that blackout region is extensive, covering all of Missouri except for the area surrounding St Louis and all of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. But it is great for everyone else.

Just keep in mind that Bally Sports Kansas City-broadcast Royals games against teams local to you are blacked out as are many nationally broadcast contests.

You can also get better deals by buying yearly and single-team plans.

Devices to Live Stream Royals Games

All the major streaming services allow you to stream on the most popular devices. You can watch Royals games with FuboTV, DIRECTV STREAM, MLB.TV, and most other services on the following:

DIRECTV STREAM offers its own device, which can make things easier. MLB.TV also supports Android TV and the Xbox systems.

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Wrapping Up

Devoted fans of the Kansas City Royals who are also cord-cutters are most likely going to subscribe to either FuboTV ($85.98/mo) DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) if Bally Sports Kansas City is available in their location or MLB.TV ($24.99/mo) if they are outside of this team’s blackout area.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

FAQs

What channel will air the Royals game tonight?

Generally, Royals games air on Bally Sports Kansas City or, in some areas such as Iowa and Nebraska, Bally Sports Midwest. However, if it is being carried elsewhere, the answer is not nearly as straightforward. Television channels that are options include TBS, FS1, ESPN, MLB Network, Fox, ABC, and NBC. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium may exclusively stream it.

What radio station plays Royals games?

If you are a Royals fan in or near Kansas City, you will want to tune to 610 Sports to catch all of the team’s games. Meanwhile, many of those elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri as well as in some parts of Nebraska and Iowa will be able to enjoy the broadcast through a different Royals Radio Network affiliate. Also, keep in mind that an MLB Radio subscription ($2.99/mo) allows you to listen online anywhere.

What free ways are there to watch Royals games?

If you already have an antenna, you can watch all Royals games that are shown on Fox, ABC, or NBC for free. For those in the club’s blackout region, that is generally your only free option. However, fans situated elsewhere can periodically stream KC games thanks to the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day.

How do I stream the Royals on my phone?

You can watch Royals games on your phone after downloading and logging in to the Bally Sports or MLB app if you subscribe to a plan accompanying those options, such as FuboTV ($85.98/mo) DIRECTV STREAM ($99.99/mo) or MLB.TV ($24.99/mo). All the live TV streaming services also allow you to watch on phones and other mobile devices.

Sign Up for a Free 7-Day Fubo Trial

What is the Royals 2023 Schedule?

Here is the Royals regular-season schedule in EDT. Most games will air on Bally Sports Detroit except where noted.

Other than the Royals, how do I watch MLB teams?

We have guides that show you how to watch every MLB team:

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Alanna Baker

Alanna is an Assistant Editor at HotDog. She hasn't had a cable account in more than 15 years and has streamed exclusively for the last ten years.

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