How will the Los Angeles Dodgers possibly follow up last fall’s cinematic, euphoric run? We don’t know what this forthcoming 2026 season will look like, but we know we’ll stay glued to the glowing screen.
Shohei Ohtani seemed to reimagine the sport entirely during his do-it-all playoff transcendence. Freddie Freeman reaffirmed a World Series legacy with his 18th-inning walk-off. The heroics of Miguel Rojas and Yoshinobu Yamamoto sealed a Game 7 win for the ages. After claiming the 2025 title, Los Angeles added slugger Kyle Tucker and closer Edwin Díaz in its bid for a third consecutive championship. Ice Cube’s lowrider revs ever louder this spring.
The Dodgers are must-see TV, but actually finding their games can feel like quite an odyssey. Nationally, the league has added two new broadcasters into its rotation with NBC and Netflix. The MLB’s out-of-market streaming service moved to ESPN, too. Regionally, games are only carried by a few providers, and blackout restrictions loom large. This is your explainer on all the madness.
Make sure you’re following the Dodgers on The Athletic. Our site covers the team through Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo. Hit the celebratory hip lock dance as you round these bases.
You can watch MLB games live on Fubo (Stream Free Now!) all season.
Dodgers games on Spectrum SportsNet LAIn-market fans
More than 145 regular-season games land on the Dodgers’ regional sports network, or RSN. Spectrum SportsNet LA is the team’s TV home when it isn’t on the national marquee. Those games are exclusive to SportsNet LA — under current blackout rules, in-market Dodgers fans cannot use MLB.TV to stream SNLA broadcasts.
Joe Davis delivers play-by-play from the booth, while former Dodgers Cy Young winner Orel Hershiser joins for analysis. Because Davis also has national obligations with Fox, Stephen Nelson fills in on SNLA for select dates. Kirsten Watson is the on-field reporter.
Right now, only a few TV providers carry SportsNet LA. The full list can be found here. Those without it in their cable package have to sign up for SNLA+, an over-the-top streaming pass.
What you need to watch: A provider with Spectrum SportsNet, or a subscription through SNLA+ (starting at $29.99/month).
Out-of-market fans
Perhaps you’re an Angeleno far from home. Maybe you caught stray Fernandomania and never let it go. At least one person converted to the fandom after that “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode. No matter the case, all out-of-market Dodgers diehards need MLB.TV to watch the regional SportsNet LA games.
MLB season ticket holders get an automatic MLB.TV login code, and T-Mobile customers get it for free through their cell service. Returning MLB.TV subscribers keep their plans through the league. But because ESPN is now selling and running the package, all new sign-ups must come through ESPN Unlimited, with a one-month trial included for the newcomers. According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, users don’t need to keep the ESPN Unlimited plan to access the MLB.TV one, at least not for 2026.
What you need to watch: MLB.TV. It’s $134.99 annually for ESPN Unlimited subscribers and $149.99 for others.
Dodgers games on national TV
There will be a lot of them, given L.A.’s superstar roster and glossy title defense. The league’s national TV partners are sorted alphabetically, with the main days for MLB action listed below.
ABC/ESPN
Main days: Sunday for ABC, midweek for ESPN
ESPN and MLB have been tied together since the 1990 season. The stalwart is no longer home to “Sunday Night Baseball,” but its reworked agreement gives it 30 regular-season exclusives across the 2026 schedule. That slate begins Wednesday, April 15, with your Dodgers welcoming the New York Mets to Chavez Ravine for Jackie Robinson Day.
Over-the-air parent network ABC has a trio of telecasts this year as part of the 30-game purchase. The first one is the Chicago Cubs at the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, June 14.
What you need to watch: ABC is free with an antenna. ABC and ESPN are included with most pay TV providers, and they’re also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription (starting at $29.99/month). Some pay TV providers, like Fubo and a few others, include ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
Apple TV
Main day: Friday
This is home to “Friday Night Baseball,” which started in 2022. That weekly window is usually a doubleheader, free from local blackouts but exclusive to Apple TV.
What you need to watch: An Apple TV subscription (starting at $12.99/month).
Fox/FS1
Main days: Saturday for Fox, midweek or Saturday for FS1, All-Star Game
There are 23 “Baseball Night in America” Saturday centerpieces lined up on Fox. The network airs two games at 7 p.m. ET and assigns markets by matchup relevance. For example, most of the country will likely get to see the Cubs visit the Dodgers on April 25, but select portions of the Midwest should have Detroit Tigers at Cincinnati Reds airing on their local Fox station.
Some Saturdays are doubleheaders with an FS1 game in the early afternoon. FS1 has an additional weekly spot falling on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Fox and FS1 combine for more than 85 regular-season games this year.
Come October, Fox has the NLDS and NLCS playoff series, plus the Fall Classic itself. Davis has been on the World Series call since 2022, when the Dodgers’ play-by-play voice took over for Joe Buck. John Smoltz has been the color commentator since 2016. Fox’s World Series hold dates back to 2000 and runs through at least 2028.
What you need to watch: Fox is free with an antenna. Fox and FS1 are included with most pay TV providers, and they also stream with a Fox One subscription (starting at $19.99/month).
MLB Network
Main days: Throughout the week
Here’s our backstop, unassuming but reliable. It’s the Austin Barnes of baseball broadcasts. The “MLB Network Showcase” has been around since 2009. The network usually airs a couple of games each week.
What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with MLB Network, typically included in standard or sports plans. MLB Network also streams with an MLB.TV subscription (starting at $134.99/year).
NBC/Peacock
Main day: Sunday, Opening Day
“Sunday Night Baseball” migrates from ESPN to NBC and Peacock, as the Universal network returns to live MLB coverage for the first time in 25 years. NBC, its streamer and the linear NBC Sports Network combine for 27 prime-time games and 34 afternoon ones in 2026. Some of the Sunday nighters are exclusive to Peacock.
This lineup launches with an Opening Day doubleheader on March 26, which includes the Dodgers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT. NBC’s season coverage concludes with the playoff wild-card series. To trumpet the return, the network has brought on some big names — like Bob Costas and eternal Dodger Clayton Kershaw.
Peacock usually has a live game in its “MLB Sunday Leadoff” spot, most of them with noon local starts.
What you need to watch: NBC is free with an antenna, but Peacock requires a subscription (starting at $10.99/month for live sports). NBCSN is included in select pay TV providers.
Netflix
Main days: Opening Night, Home Run Derby, “Field of Dreams”
Already venturing into live sports with NFL Christmas Day, Netflix has three MLB exclusives this season, starting with the 2026 opener on March 25.
July 13 is the Home Run Derby, airing with All-Star festivities. Aug. 13 is the “Field of Dreams” game, a neutral-site showcase in Iowa with the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins. The Netflix arrangement runs through 2028.
What you need to watch: A Netflix subscription (starting at $7.99/month).
TBS
Main day: Tuesday
TBS Tuesdays continue in 2026. The slate jumps off with the New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners on March 31, followed by a World Series rematch between the Dodgers and Blue Jays in Toronto on April 7. TBS also has this year’s ALDS and ALCS playoff rounds.
What you need to watch: A pay TV provider with TBS, or an HBO Max subscription (starting at $10.99/month).
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Dodgers’ all-time leaderboard
Hits — Zack Wheat (2,804)
HRs — Duke Snider (389)
RBIs — Duke Snider (1,271)
Wins — Don Sutton (233)
Ks — Clayton Kershaw (3,052)
Saves — Kenley Jansen (350)
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