Detroit Tigers' Opening Day be on cable TV? Here's what we know

2026 Opening Day is fast approaching for the Detroit Tigers. On March 26, the Tigers will open their quest for their first American League Central title since 2014 on the road against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The big question? Will Michiganders – especially those who have cable TV packages that previously carried FanDuel Sports Network Detroit – be able to watch it? Yes, wrote Ben Fidelman, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment vice president of communications and broadcasting, in a post Monday, March 22, on social media. “Ultimately, we expect DSN to be available on most, if not all, of the same cable and satellite providers (such as Comcast/Xfinity, DirecTV, and others) currently carrying FanDuel Sports Network,” he wrote Monday. “If you watched Tigers or Red Wings games through your cable package last year, there's a good chance no action will be needed to watch moving forward. Assuming everything goes as expected, the new channel will appear for you later this week, likely in the same neighborhood as FanDuel Sports Network on your TV guide.” The Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, both owned by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment, ended their contract with FanDuel earlier this year over concerns over the broadcasting company’s bankruptcy, and announced the formation of “Detroit Sportsnet” to carry broadcasts of the teams. Detroit SportNet has already streamed several Tigers games onling during spring training, but the move still isn’t fully complete. The Red Wings will remain on FanDuel until the end of the 2025-26 season, then move to Detroit SportsNet for 2026-27 and beyond. The Tigers, meanwhile, apparently will be going right up to the Opening Day deadline – Detroit and San Diego’s game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET – in negotiations with cable carriers. “Full disclosure: this could come as late as the morning of Opening Day,” Fidelman wrote Monday. “There's nothing to worry about here – though it's not ideal, we've been told since the beginning that it would play out this way. All the other MLB teams transitioning away from FanDuel are in the same boat on this timeline.” Here’s what we know about Detroit SportsNet and the changeover for the Tigers and Wings: How much will Detroit SportsNet cost? Fans can pay $19.99 per month or $189.99 for a full year – approximately $50 cheaper over a 12-month span. Fans can learn more about streaming subscriptions for the Tigers and Red Wings at Tigers.com/detroitsportsnet and DetroitRedWings.com/detroitsportsnet. Will I be able to watch all 162 Tigers games on Detroit SportsNet? No. Detroit SportsNet will carry approximately 140 broadcasts this season. The Tigers are slated to have at least 16 games broadcast nationally with MLB's other partners, including Fox, NBC (and its streaming service, Peacock) and TBS. (Netflix also signed up with MLB this season, but its three-year deal only covers "special event games"; this season, that's the Opening Day matchup between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, March 25, the Home Run Derby in Philadelphia on July 13 and the "Field of Dreams" game in Dyersville, Iowa, between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins on Aug. 13.) I'm signed up for FanDuel. Do I have to subscribe all over again to Detroit SportsNet? Yes. You will not find Tigers games on FanDuel Sports Network anymore, and once the Red Wings' regular season concludes, on April 15, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment will no longer have any association with FanDuel. Fans will need to subscribe separately to Detroit SportsNet, as it's completely different from what they currently have. FanDuel Sports Network subscribers should contact FanDuel directly to cancel their subscriptions. Do I have to pay for Wings and Tigers separately this spring? Yes, for about two weeks. That's the overlap between when the Red Wings finish their 2025-26 season and when the Tigers begin their 2026 season. What about the Detroit Pistons? Ilitch Sports + Entertainment is not associated with the Pistons. As of now, Pistons games will not be available on Detroit SportsNet. How to stream Tigers and Red Wings games? The new streaming home for the Tigers is the MLB app, available on web, mobile and TV platforms – with access to highlights, stats and news. As for the Red Wings, a system to stream games for the 2026-27 season is yet to be announced. Will there be one app for both teams? No. There won't be a singular app on which both teams are available in one place. Fans will need to download the MLB app to stream Tigers games and a to-be-determined app to stream Red Wings games. Where to watch on TV for Tigers and Red Wings games? Discussions with cable and satellite distributors are ongoing. Once agreements are finalized, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment will share a list of providers carrying Detroit SportsNet, along with specific channel assignments. What happens to the broadcasters? Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond are expected to continue leading Red Wings broadcasts for years to come. The same is true for Jason Benetti (and Dan Dickerson) with analysts Andy Dirks and Dan Petry on Tigers broadcasts. They all are employees of the Tigers and Red Wings and will remain in their current roles, along with reporters Daniella Bruce and Logan Reever, who cover both teams. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold. Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.