In the wake of NBCUniversal’s press release detailing its broadcast schedule, the streaming landscape for the 2026 Philadelphia Phillies is coming into focus.
Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBCUniversal, continues to expand its Major League Baseball footprint in 2026, inheriting rights to “Sunday Night Baseball” previously held by ESPN. That shift places several high-profile Phillies games behind the Peacock paywall, with select matchups also airing simultaneously on NBC.
The Phillies’ first appearance on Peacock will come on Sunday, April 19 as they host the Atlanta Braves at 7:20 p.m. That divisional matchup will be a foretaste of what will be a summer filled with nationally spotlighted games. Two months later Philadelphia returns to Peacock on Sunday, June 21, when the New York Mets visit Citizens Bank Park for a 7:20 p.m. start. That game will also be broadcast on NBC.
One of the more unique national showcases comes on Sunday, July 5, when the Phillies travel to Kansas City. The game is part of MLB’s “Star-Spangled Sunday,” a league-wide event in which all 15 games are presented nationally across NBCUniversal platforms. Their 3 p.m. matchup with the Royals will be streamed solely on Peacock.
Later in July, the Phillies will host the New York Yankees on Sunday, July 26, at 7:20 p.m. in another Peacock and NBC simulcast. The season’s final Peacock appearance comes on Sunday, Sept. 6, when the Braves return to Philadelphia for a 3:10 p.m. first pitch, again airing on both Peacock and NBC.
For fans with the Sunday package for their partial season tickets, that means three of 13 Sunday games will be night affairs.
Netflix enters the MLB calendar in a meaningful way in 2026, serving as the exclusive home of several special events throughout the season. Two such events directly affect Phillies fans.
First, Netflix will now be the sole broadcaster of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, hosted this year Monday, July 13 at Citizens Bank Park. Their first time streaming what is a yearly spectacle in the Derby means that for the multitudes of Phillies fans who are unable to get tickets for All Star Week festivities will need to root for the Phillies’ representative on Netflix as if they were watching “Stranger Things.”
On Thursday, Aug. 13, the Phillies will take part in the annual Field of Dreams game, in Dyersville, Iowa. The Phillies will be the away team as they face off against the Minnesota Twins in a special matchup in a historic setting. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Despite losing rights to “Sunday Night Baseball,” ESPN continues to retain a national broadcast interest in Major League Baseball.
While much of ESPN’s new midweek schedule has yet to be announced, there is one date known at this time for the Phillies. The Phillies will host the Mets to lead off the second half of the season on Thursday, July 16. The matchup, originally scheduled for Friday, July 17, was moved up one day to an exclusive spot. As the only game on that date, the Phillies and Mets will get national attention in their 7:10 p.m. start.
As mentioned, the national broadcast schedule for ESPN has yet to be announced. They are not the only national broadcast partner yet to announce their schedule, however. Fox Sports will broadcast the MLB All-Star Game from Philadelphia on Tuesday, July 14. Beyond that, they will also carry a total of 52 regular season contests, including likely a few Phillies games.
On the streaming front, Major League Baseball and Apple have yet to announce their lineup for “Friday Night Baseball.” Given their weekly doubleheader on the platform, it is likely the Phillies will have a handful of appearances on the streaming-exclusive platform as well.
The Regional Sports Networks that once ruled Major League Baseball are seemingly falling apart. On Jan. 8, Main Street Sports Group, the RSN responsible for nine Major League Baseball teams, had its contracts terminated due to financial issues.
NBC Sports Philadelphia remains strong and will continue to be the regional broadcaster for the Phillies. Fans will be able to follow along with Tom McCarthy, John Kruk, and the rest of the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast team for a vast majority of the action in 2026. Broadcasts will mainly be housed on NBC Sports Philadelphia with some contests likely appearing on NBC’s subsidiary channels as well.
If an in-market Phillies fan would want to watch all 162 games of action this season, they would need access to NBC’s channel base including NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN, Fox and FS1, and streaming access to Netflix, Peacock, and Apple TV+. Gone are the days of tuning into one channel.
