You’re sitting there, 10 minutes before first pitch, frantically scrolling through your guide. The game isn’t on the usual channel. You check the sports app—blacked out. Honestly, being a fan in 2026 feels like you need a master's degree in digital media just to watch a Friday night game at Oracle Park.
The tv schedule for sf giants has officially become a moving target.
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Between the regional sports network shifts, the new Netflix deal, and Apple TV+ poaching Friday nights, the days of just "turning on Channel 40" are dead and buried. If you want to see the Orange and Black this year, you’ve gotta know exactly where to look.
The New Reality: Where the Games Actually Live
Most of the season still rests on NBC Sports Bay Area. That’s your home base. If you have a traditional cable package or a "skinny bundle" like YouTube TV or Fubo, you’re mostly safe for the 162-game grind. But "mostly" is a dangerous word in 2026.
The season opener on March 25, 2026, against the New York Yankees is the perfect example of the new chaos. It’s not on NBCSBA. It’s on Netflix.
Yeah, you read that right. MLB handed the season-opening night game at Oracle Park to a streaming service. If you don't have a Netflix login, you're listening to Jon Miller on the radio (which, honestly, isn't a bad "Plan B").
The Breakdown of Broadcasters
- NBC Sports Bay Area: This is the workhorse. They handle roughly 145–150 games a year.
- FOX and FS1: Usually reserved for Saturday showcases. These are the games where you’ll lose Kruk and Kuip for national announcers who might spend half the game talking about the Dodgers.
- ESPN: Sunday Night Baseball is still a thing, though the Giants have to be "good" or playing a rival to land here.
- Apple TV+: They still own the "Friday Night Baseball" doubleheaders. These are exclusive. You cannot watch these on local TV.
- Peacock: New for 2026, NBC has significantly ramped up its MLB presence. You’ll see the Giants appearing on the MLB Sunday Leadoff schedule, which often starts as early as 8:30 AM or 10:00 AM PT for East Coast road games.
Streaming Without the Cable Headache
If you've cut the cord, the tv schedule for sf giants gets even trickier. You can’t just buy a standalone NBC Sports app subscription in most cases—you usually need a provider login.
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However, there’s a massive change for 2026. GIANTS.TV has launched as a direct-to-consumer option for fans living inside the Bay Area territory. This is huge. It basically allows you to bypass Comcast or Xfinity and stream games directly, provided you’re willing to pay the monthly subscription fee.
What about MLB.TV?
It's still the gold standard if you live in Austin or Boston. If you live in San Francisco, Santa Rosa, or San Jose, MLB.TV will still black you out for every single live Giants game. Don't waste the money thinking it's a workaround. It’s not.
Why the Voices Matter
We need to talk about Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper. They are the heartbeat of the broadcast. In 2025, they signed extensions through the 2026 season, which was a huge relief for everyone who grew up on "Grab some pine, meat."
But the schedule affects them too.
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Because of Krukow’s health (specifically inclusion body myositis), he doesn't travel for road games anymore. He calls those from the studio in San Francisco. When the Giants are on a national broadcast like FOX or ESPN, our local legends are often sidelined.
There’s a silver lining in the new 2026 contracts, though. When the Giants are on a national TV exclusive, Kruk and Kuip now have more flexibility to hop over to the KNBR 680 radio booth. If you can’t stand the national announcers, mute the TV and sync up the radio.
Navigating the 2026 Schedule Spikes
Keep an eye on the "special" games. The 2026 schedule is littered with them.
- Opening Night (March 25): vs Yankees (Netflix)
- The Rivalry Sets: When the Dodgers come to town on April 21-23, expect at least one of those to get flexed to a national window.
- Sunday Mornings: The Peacock games are the ones that catch people off guard. If you wake up at 11:00 AM on a Sunday expecting the game to be starting, you might find it’s already in the 7th inning.
Basically, the 2026 Giants TV schedule is a patchwork quilt. You’ve got the local RSN, the corporate giants like FOX, and the tech streamers like Apple and Netflix.
Actionable Steps for Giants Fans
Don't wait until the Yankees game starts to realize your Netflix password expired in 2023.
First, download the MLB app and set the Giants as your favorite team. It will send you "Probable Pitcher" notifications that also list the specific TV station for that day. It’s the most accurate way to track the day-to-day shifts.
Second, if you're a cord-cutter in the Bay Area, look into the Peacock + NBC Sports Bay Area add-on. In 2026, this has become one of the most stable ways to get the local feed without a $100/month cable bill.
Lastly, check the KNBR schedule for the "overlap" games. When the TV schedule gets messy with national broadcasters, the radio team usually stays consistent. Having a high-quality AM/FM radio or the TuneIn app is the only way to guarantee you never miss a pitch due to a "rights dispute" or a streaming blackout.