KC Royals' announce new partnership to broadcast games on KCTV5/KSMO

It's been just over two months since the Kansas City Royals announced their broadcasting deal with Diamond Sports Group and Amazon Prime, and now, fans will have even more ways to watch their favorite team this year. On February 4, the Royals announced a new partnership with Gray Media to simulcast 10 games on local television stations KCTV5 (CBS) and KSMO (MyNetwork).

The specific games to be broadcast will be announced at a later date, though they will all be Sunday games during the 2025 regular season. According to the team's press release, all 10 selected matchups will air on KSMO and at least six are expected to be available on KCTV5, which "will greatly increase reach and access of the selected games, providing a new way for nearly 7 million households to watch the Royals."

"Sharing our games, highlighting our world-class athletes, and telling our story to as many people as possible is a top priority for us," Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman said via press release. "This agreement gives our fans the power to watch however they want, whether that’s on cable, streaming, or local TV. We are thrilled to partner with Gray Media, and know their experience and expertise will be beneficial for both the Royals and our fans."

The Royals have not broadcast games on local television since the 2007 season, after which Kansas City moved to Fox Sports Net Midwest.

KC Royals announce partnership with Gray Media

The new partnership with Gray Media comes just two months after the Royals announced they'd reached an agreement with Diamond Sports Group to broadcast their games for 2025. On December 3, 2024, the Royals confirmed that regular season games would be produced and distributed by FanDuel Sports Network — owned by Diamond Sports Group — with fans also able to stream games as an add-on subscription on Amazon Prime.

After Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2023, the Royals' broadcasting plans — along with those of 11 other teams across MLB — were thrown into limbo. In October 2024, the company went to federal bankruptcy court with a reorganization plan, proposing that they walk away from all of their existing contracts with MLB teams, with the lone exception of their contract with the Atlanta Braves. This led to multiple teams cutting ties to find a new broadcasting partner, while others, including the Royals, continued to wait out the storm.

On November 13, 2024, Diamond Sports Group announced a new agreement with Amazon Prime, under which all of the company's existing Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) would be available via Prime Video as an add-on subscription. With this plan in place, the Royals agreed to a new deal with Diamond Sports Group on December 3, keeping the broadcasting giant as their media partner.

This season, Royals fans will be able to watch regular-season games on cable TV — including DirectTV, Spectrum, and Xfinity — or via the FanDuel Sports Network app and Amazon Prime Video to avoid blackouts, though both of those require an add-on subscription. Now, Kansas City's partnership with Gray Media adds yet another option, finally bringing Royals games back to free, over-the-air television.