Streaming news roundup: NBA teams keep landing on local TV for next season, 2027 MLB schedule, and where to watch the World Cup final

The NBA's local-TV map for next season keeps filling in — the Hawks and Bucks are the latest to move their games to broadcast stations after the FanDuel networks collapsed — plus MLB's new 2027 schedule leans even harder on streamers, and the World Cup wraps up Sunday. Here's what changed for where you'll watch.

The gist: The NBA's local-TV picture for next season is coming together fast, and the theme is consistent: teams that lost their regional sports network are landing on broadcast stations, which changes where — and how — you'll find their games. The Hawks and Bucks are the latest. Plus, the World Cup wraps up Sunday. Here's what moved and how to watch.

The NBA's local-TV map keeps filling in — on broadcast stations

Two more teams locked in next-season TV homes this week, and both went to local broadcast television rather than a regional sports network.

The Atlanta Hawks announced Thursday a Georgia-wide deal with Gray Media: all non-nationally televised games will air on Atlanta's WANF and Peachtree Sports Network, plus Gray stations in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Savannah. WANF is over the air in the market and also carried on Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, DISH, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo. Days earlier, the Milwaukee Bucks announced their own return to broadcast TV for the first time in 31 years, on MY24 and a statewide affiliate network (with a team-run streaming service to come).

They join the Pistons and Heat, who made similar moves earlier — four of the roughly 13 NBA teams cut loose when the FanDuel Sports Networks shut down after last season. The pattern is worth understanding because it changes how you watch: instead of a cable RSN add-on, more local NBA games are landing on a broadcast station you can get through an antenna or your normal pay-TV and live-TV streaming packages, with several teams also building their own direct-to-consumer apps. If your team was on a FanDuel network, don't assume last year's setup — confirm the new arrangement before you renew anything.

It's the same fragmentation we've been tracking on the hockey side, where the Blues and other former FanDuel teams are still sorting out next season's homes.

MLB dropped its 2027 schedule — and streamers are baked in

MLB released its 2027 regular-season schedule on Thursday, and it's a useful preview of where baseball's marquee dates are drifting: onto streaming. The season opens on Netflix again — an Opening Night game Wednesday, March 24, before the traditional Opening Day slate March 25 — cementing Netflix's move from documentaries into MLB's tentpole events under the league's 2026-28 deal. All-Star week is at Wrigley Field, and it's split across two services: the Home Run Derby on Netflix (Monday, July 12) and the All-Star Game on FOX (Tuesday, July 13). The second half opens with a standalone game on ESPN kicking off Rivalry Weekend (Thursday, July 15).

The takeaway for planning: the biggest single dates on the baseball calendar — Opening Night, the Derby, a marquee second-half opener — increasingly live on a streamer rather than cable. One important asterisk, though: the 2027 season depends on labor peace. The current collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, 2026, and a lockout is widely expected — so while the schedule is set, whether those games are actually played (and streamed) on time isn't guaranteed yet.

Where to watch the World Cup final

The tournament ends Sunday with a heavyweight final: Argentina vs. Spain, Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the defending champions against the European champions, Messi against Lamine Yamal. The third-place match is Saturday, July 18 at 5 p.m. ET.

Both are on FOX in English and Telemundo in Spanish (streaming on Peacock). The viewing path hasn't changed all tournament, so if you've been watching on FOX or Telemundo, nothing's different for the finale — full options are in our World Cup guide.

Not sure which of this week's games you can already watch? StreamCaddy maps the cheapest correct way to watch all of your teams and events for your exact location and subscriptions.

Sources

1. Gray Media / Atlanta Hawks (GlobeNewswire) — "Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks Bring Hawks Basketball to Millions with Georgia-Wide Broadcast Partnership for 2026-27 NBA Season" (all non-national games on WANF + Peachtree Sports Network; carried on major pay-TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo), July 16, 2026 — https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/16/3328419/0/en/Gray-Media-and-Atlanta-Hawks-Bring-Hawks-Basketball-to-Millions-with-Free-Expansive-Georgia-Wide-Broadcast-Partnership-for-2026-27-NBA-Season.html
2. Urban Milwaukee — "Bucks Games Returning To Broadcast TV For 2026-27 Season" (MY24 + statewide affiliates; first full over-the-air season in 31 years; team DTC service to come; context on Main Street/FanDuel shutdown), July 10, 2026 — https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/07/10/bucks-games-returning-to-free-tv-for-2026-27-season/
3. Awful Announcing — "Miami Heat strike over-the-air deal with WPLG for local broadcasts" (Heat and Pistons among the 13 ex-FanDuel NBA teams moving to broadcast TV; 11 others still to announce), June 8, 2026 — https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/miami-heat-strike-over-the-air-deal-wplg.html
4. MLB.com — "MLB releases 2027 regular-season schedule" (Opening Night on Netflix March 24; All-Star Game on FOX and Home Run Derby on Netflix at Wrigley Field; second-half opener a standalone on ESPN), July 16, 2026 — https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-2027-schedule-released
5. WUSF (NPR) — "MLB releases 2027 schedule" (2027 Opening Night televised by Netflix; season contingent on a new CBA, with the current labor contract expiring Dec. 1 and a lockout expected), July 16, 2026 — https://www.wusf.org/sports/2026-07-16/mlb-releases-2027-schedule-with-rays-opening-at-home-march-25-against-the-orioles
6. ESPN — "Argentina 2-1 England: Argentina advance to World Cup final vs. Spain" (Final July 19 at MetLife Stadium; third-place match July 18; all on FOX/Telemundo), July 15, 2026 — https://www.espn.com/soccer/match/_/gameId/760515/argentina-england