For the second time in three days, a streaming subscription will be needed to watch the Houston Astros’ game.
Sunday’s 2:30 p.m. series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays at Daikin Park will stream on Peacock, with a subscription needed for most viewers to watch. It is part of NBC’s “Star-Spangled Sunday” on Fourth of July weekend, with a national rightsholder airing all 15 MLB games on a single day for the first time in league history.
“No sport is associated more with the 4th of July holiday than baseball,” said Rob Hyland, NBC Sports’ senior vice president of production and coordinating producer, whose network is airing MLB games for the first time since 2000. “We get the chance and the privilege to cover all 15 games between NBC and Peacock.”
A Peacock subscription plan that includes access to live sports begins at $10.99 a month. The streamer does not offer free trials. Xfinity cable subscribers with certain levels of internet service can also receive Peacock as part of their subscription.
Astros TV play-by-play man Todd Kalas, Rays analyst Doug Waechter and Astros sideline reporter Julia Morales will call Sunday’s game for Peacock. The game will not be available on Space City Home Network, the Astros’ usual carrier.
There is one way to watch the Astros-Rays game without a Peacock subscription. The game will also air on NBCSN on YouTube TV, which offers multiple feeds of the network and will simulcast most of Sunday’s games. But for those who get NBCSN through an Xfinity subscription, only three games Sunday will also air on that provider: Twins-Yankees, Blue Jays-Mariners and Red Sox-Angels.
Two games Sunday, Mets-Braves at 11 a.m. and Padres-Dodgers at 6 p.m., will air on NBC. Every game Sunday can also be accessed on Peacock. The games airing on NBC, however, will not be simulcast on NBCSN, just Peacock.
The Astros will not make their debut on Sunday Night Baseball, which moved to NBC this year after a 36-season run on ESPN, until Aug. 9 at San Diego. Houston won’t wait long for its next Sunday night game, which will be Aug. 16 at home against Seattle. Both games will be simulcast on Peacock.