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San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb is scheduled to start against the New York Yankees as the 2026 MLB season opens Wednesday, March 25, with the first-ever game broadcast in the United States by Netflix.<\/p>\n
Scott Strazzante\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
The 2026 Major League Baseball season will open at Oracle Park with a historic, marquee matchup between the San Francisco Giants<\/a> and New York Yankees.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be the only game on Wednesday \u2014 and yet, other than attending in person, Giants fans can only watch it if they have a Netflix subscription.<\/p>\n MLB Opening Day 2026<\/p>\n Who: New York Yankees at San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n When: 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 25.<\/p>\n Streaming: Netflix, featuring Matt Vasgersian, CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence.<\/p>\n Radio: KNBR, 106.9 FM or 680 AM, featuring Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow.<\/p>\n Subscription packages for MLB partners<\/p>\n Giants.tv<\/a>: In partnership with NBC Sports Bay Area, it streams Giants games without blackouts for $19.99 per month or $119.99 for the season. Subscriptions can be bundled with MLB.tv<\/a>, the streaming home of all major-league teams, for $39.99 monthly and $219.99 seasonally.<\/p>\n Netflix: Opening night game, All-Star Home Run Derby, Field of Dreams game. $7.99-$24.99 per month.<\/p>\n Peacock: The streaming home of NBC\/NBCSN\u00a0\u2014 which has \u201cSunday Night Baseball,\u201d \u201cSunday Leadoff\u201d and Wild-Card playoff games\u00a0\u2014 is $7.99-$16.99 per month or $79.99-$169.99 per year.<\/p>\n Apple TV: Friday night doubleheaders for $12.99 per month or $99.99 per year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Peacock\/Apple TV bundle: $14.99-$19.99 per month.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right. The Los Altos-based streamer, known for award-winning movies such as \u201cKPop Demon Hunters<\/a>\u201d and hit series like \u201cStranger Things<\/a>\u201d and \u201cSquid Game<\/a>,\u201d will be broadcasting a baseball game for the first time ever in the United States.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s part of an ongoing evolution in the sports media landscape, one with ripple effects that go far beyond McCovey Cove.<\/p>\n This season, to see all 162 regular-season games, a Giants fan would have to subscribe to Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV and a cable or streaming service like YouTube TV that carries NBC Sports Bay Area,\u00a0ESPN and Fox Sports channels. There is also Giants.tv<\/a>, a streaming app through MLB.tv<\/a>, which began last season and this year will carry all but 13 games.<\/p>\n Longtime San Francisco Giants radio broadcaster Dave\u00a0Flemming says \u201cit is amazing the technology that allows you to follow your team no matter where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Santiago Mejia\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n There\u2019s never been a more expensive time to be a Giants fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Long gone are the days when Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons<\/a> called games over the air on KTVU. Even the comfort of Kruk and Kuip (Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper<\/a>) broadcasting games on NBCSBA as part of a cable package isn\u2019t a sure thing, with an increasing number of games being siphoned off to streaming services.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And yet, longtime Giants broadcaster Dave Flemming<\/a> believes it\u2019s easier than ever for fans to keep up with their favorite team.<\/p>\n \u201cThe diversification is one issue, and you could argue that it makes it harder to track where your games are going to be, and I can see that argument,\u201d Flemming told the Chronicle<\/a>. \u201cBut it is absolutely amazing that Giants fans all over the globe\u00a0\u2014 no matter where they live, no matter what time zone\u00a0\u2014 can pull up a device in their hand and watch a game.\u201d<\/p>\n Flemming recalls an East Coast day game in which KNBR producer Darren Chan, noting the 8 a.m. start time in the Bay Area, thought it would be fun to ask listeners on social media where they were listening from, and if they were having breakfast.<\/p>\n East Bay native Matt\u00a0Vasgersian will call the first-ever U.S. game broadcast by Netflix when the Giants meet the Yankees at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.<\/p>\n Kohjiro Kinno \/ ESPN Images<\/p>\n \u201cLiterally, we had people all over the world tell us they were listening, what they were having for breakfast or if they were in Amsterdam, what they\u2019re having for dinner,\u201d Flemming said. \u201cIt was kind of an eye-opening moment for me. I just thought, you know, for all the hand-wringing about, \u2018Is it too expensive and is it too fragmented?\u2019 it is amazing the technology that allows you to follow your team no matter where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Netflix will broadcast the MLB opener in different languages in some 200 countries, giving the Giants a worldwide platform. That\u2019s mind-blowing for veteran play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian, an East Bay native who will serve as the English play-by-play announcer for the Netflix-streamed game and calls it \u201ca big responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Vasgersian will share the booth with commentators CC Sabathia<\/a>, a Vallejo native and Baseball Hall of Famer, and former Giants World Series hero Hunter Pence<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former Giants slugger Barry Bonds<\/a> will be among the pre-and postgame analyst team<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to get very frustrated by the fact that the A\u2019s did not have a complete television schedule\u201d locally, said Vasgersian, who grew up in Moraga idolizing Oakland A\u2019s, Warriors and Raiders announcer Bill King<\/a>. \u201cThe idea that every game is on TV is something that I didn\u2019t grow up with. So to have these rights piecemealed together now, I understand the fans\u2019 frustrations. (But) I think the league is aware of not pricing people out. That\u2019s nobody\u2019s idea of good.\u201d<\/p>\n New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, a San Joaquin County native, is scheduled to start at Oracle Park against the Giants in the 2026 MLB opener.<\/p>\n Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez\/Associated Press<\/p>\n It makes sense that sports is entering the new media landscape. For years, movies, series, reality shows and concerts have migrated from traditional over-the-air and cable networks to streaming. To see one\u2019s favorite movies and TV shows, it seems the average consumer needs to subscribe to an endless array of streaming services.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n MLB appears to be trying to position itself to transition to the new reality in the most optimal way. The league made the unusual move of resetting all of its broadcast partnerships to three-year contracts, beginning this season, welcoming new partners in Netflix and NBC\/Peacock, while maintaining relationships with Apple TV and longtime partners Fox, ESPN and TBS. It could be an $800 million (the combined value of the rights packages) version of throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.<\/p>\n Netflix, which has broadcast NFL games the past two Christmas days as well as boxing matches and other one-off sporting events, is the most eye-catching new player.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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