Cardinals Fans Face Another TV Shakeup as RSN Model Continues to Crumble
If you're a Cardinals fan trying to figure out how to watch your team in 2026, you're not alone-and you're definitely not the only one frustrated. The broadcast landscape around Major League Baseball is shifting again, and this time, St. Louis is right in the middle of it.
Let’s start with the big picture. MLB has been slowly untangling itself from its long-standing national TV partners.
The league recently parted ways with ESPN, ending the network’s run with Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and Wild Card round coverage. In their place, NBC/Peacock has picked up the Sunday package-though now airing games on Sunday mornings-and Netflix is stepping in to handle the Home Run Derby.
While these moves might make sense from a business standpoint, they’ve made watching baseball feel more complicated than ever for the average fan.
So what does this mean for the Cardinals?
The short answer: a lot. The longer answer is a bit messier.
The Cardinals are once again caught in the fallout of the regional sports network (RSN) collapse. For years, fans in St.
Louis enjoyed a consistent viewing experience through Fox Sports Midwest. That changed when Fox sold its RSNs to Diamond Sports Group, which rebranded the broadcasts under the Bally Sports name.
When Diamond hit bankruptcy following the 2024 season, FanDuel stepped in and took over the RSN contracts, trying to keep the model alive. But the writing was already on the wall.
Now, FanDuel has failed to make its first payment to the Cardinals, prompting the Dewitt family to pull the plug on the deal. That leaves the team without a broadcast partner heading into the 2026 season.
So where do the Cardinals go from here?
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has stepped in with a potential solution. The league is offering to bring the Cardinals under the same MLB Network umbrella that already houses nine other teams following the Bally Sports collapse.
Under this setup, games would be broadcast as additional sub-channels on MLB Network during live game windows. This could be a win for fans using providers like DISH, which no longer carries the old Bally/FanDuel RSN channels.
For fans who’ve already cut the cord, there’s some good news. The Cardinals own their streaming rights, so the shift primarily affects cable viewers.
Over the past year, the team offered a streaming-only package through Bally Sports and FanDuel for $20 per month, which also included St. Louis Blues games.
That package was available via the FanDuel app and even integrated with Prime Video.
If the Cardinals end up under the MLB umbrella, expect games to be available through the MLB app as part of the MLB.TV package. MLB has already adjusted its model to allow fans to subscribe to watch just their local team, with a market-specific plan priced at $129.99 per year or $11 per month. That’s a game-changer for fans who don’t need the full league package and just want to follow their team all season.
But what if you’re still on cable?
That’s the million-dollar question. If the Cardinals go the MLB Network route, cable subscribers could see Cardinals games pop up as alternate channels during game broadcasts-essentially sub-feeds of MLB Network.
But if the team decides to renegotiate a new RSN deal with another provider, things might look more familiar. In that case, Cardinals games would likely continue airing on the same channel they’ve been on in recent years, just under a new name or brand.
The bottom line? The Cardinals are in TV limbo right now, and fans are caught in the middle.
Whether you’re a die-hard watching every pitch or a casual fan tuning in on weekends, the current broadcast landscape is murky. But one thing is clear: the traditional RSN model is on life support, and teams like the Cardinals are being forced to adapt.
For now, keep an eye on what direction the team takes-whether it’s with MLB Network, a new streaming deal, or another RSN partner. One way or another, the games will be there. The only question is how-and where-you’ll be watching them.