Streaming news roundup: how to watch MLB's Wild Card round, and where Blue Note+ stands before the Blues' opener

MLB's Wild Card round starts Tuesday on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN. Here's which series air where and how to get each, plus where the Blues' Blue Note+ launch stands ahead of Friday's opener.

StreamCaddy · Monday, September 28, 2026

The gist: MLB's Wild Card round starts tomorrow on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, and where you watch depends on the series. Red Sox-Yankees and Phillies-Braves open on NBC and Peacock. Cubs-Padres and White Sox-Astros open on Peacock and NBCSN. Below: how to get each, including which providers carry NBCSN. Closer to home, the Blues open Friday and a couple of Blue Note+ details are still pending. Plus ESPN's streaming price increase has now kicked in, the Pistons picked a streaming home, and the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal is waiting on a judge.

National

How to watch the Wild Card round: NBC and Peacock, or Peacock and NBCSN

All four best-of-three Wild Card Series run Tuesday, September 29, through Thursday, October 1, and all of them are on NBC Sports platforms: NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Network (NBCSN). Games 1 and 2 split two ways, per MLB and NBC Sports:

• On NBC and Peacock: Phillies vs. Braves and Red Sox vs. Yankees. Every NBC game also streams on Peacock, and NBC is also available over the air in markets that carry your local NBC station.
• On Peacock and NBCSN: White Sox vs. Astros and Cubs vs. Padres. The Chicago Sun-Times notes these are the first MLB postseason games to air on a streaming service.

How to get each:

• Peacock (all four series): you need a plan that includes live sports. The Premium tier is $12.99 a month, per the Chicago Sun-Times (September 27, 2026). The cheapest Select tier doesn't carry live sports; we covered that in Peacock's August price increase. Prices change, so check before you sign up.
• NBCSN (White Sox-Astros and Cubs-Padres): NBC Sports says it's carried on YouTube TV, Fubo, and Xfinity. The Sun-Times reports it's missing from DirecTV and Astound/RCN, so if that's your provider, Peacock is your route for those two series.

Game 3s are a moving target. If a series needs a third game on Thursday, its network and start time depend on how many other series are still going. NBC Chicago, for example, lays out scenarios where a White Sox Game 3 moves to NBC and others where it stays on Peacock and NBCSN. Check the day before rather than assuming.

After the Wild Card round, the Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series move to FOX, FS1, and TBS. Our round-by-round MLB playoffs guide covers who carries what.

ESPN's streaming price increase is now in effect

If you pay for ESPN's standalone streaming plans, your price went up on September 17. ESPN Unlimited rose from $29.99 to $31.99 a month ($319.99 a year, up from $299.99), and the scaled-down ESPN Select rose from $12.99 to $13.99 a month ($139.99 a year, up from $129.99), per Variety. Hockey fans should note: ESPN Select is one of the ways to get out-of-market NHL games on ESPN+ this season (more on that below). ESPN also says many pay-TV subscribers, including recent additions Xfinity and YouTube TV, can unlock the full ESPN Unlimited experience in the ESPN app at no extra cost, so check whether your TV provider already covers you before paying separately.

Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery: waiting on a judge

The last major legal hurdle to Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is still unresolved. At a hearing Thursday, September 24, a federal judge declined to rule right away on Paramount's proposed settlement with 12 state attorneys general. She asked for more information, including responses to a letter from Sen. Cory Booker due by noon today, and said she would rule "in due course," per the Los Angeles Times. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had told staff he expected the deal to close no later than early October.

Why fans should care: if the deal closes, TNT Sports (home of the AL playoffs on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max, plus NHL and other rights) would share an owner with CBS Sports and Paramount+. Status: settlement pending court approval. Fan bottom line: no changes to where games air or what they cost have been announced. Nothing to do today.

Around the Markets

Chicago

Both Chicago teams made the postseason. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, the White Sox's Games 1 and 2 against Houston start at 4 p.m. CT Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Cubs' Games 1 and 2 in San Diego start at 9 p.m. CT, all on Peacock and NBCSN. To watch, you'll need Peacock (Premium or above) or a TV service that carries NBCSN (YouTube TV, Fubo, or Xfinity). DirecTV and Astound/RCN customers should plan on Peacock.

Boston and New York

Red Sox-Yankees got the prime-time slot: Games 1 and 2 are on NBC and stream on Peacock.

St. Louis

Cardinals: not in the Wild Card field this year.

Blues: The Blues open their season Friday, October 2, at Dallas, and their local games now live on the team-owned Blue Note+, which we covered last week. Where things stand as of this morning, per the team's watch page:

• Streaming on Prime Video: Blue Note+ is a separate add-on subscription on Prime Video, $19.99 a month or $99.99 a year inside the Blues' broadcast territory. You can buy it whether you're a paid Prime member or just have a free Amazon account, but either way you have to buy the add-on: no version of Prime includes it, per the team. The team's FAQ still says the subscription goes on sale "soon, before the start of the regular season," so if you plan to stream Friday's opener, check the Prime Video app ahead of time.
• Cable: Spectrum carries Blue Note+ on select packages (Select Plus or above, or a legacy Select package, per the team). The channel number is still listed as "TBA." The NHL, which negotiated the Spectrum deal on the Blues' behalf, says it's still in talks with other distributors. If you have another provider, the team suggests asking them to add Blue Note+.
• Over the air: the team says it's "discussing options" for some games over the air. Nothing has been announced.
• Outside the Blues' territory: the team says out-of-market fans can watch non-national Blues games on ESPN+ in the ESPN app (with ESPN Select or Unlimited) or through NHL Center Ice on Spectrum or DIRECTV. Those packages black out games inside the Blues' territory, so they aren't a way to watch the Blues locally.

Our Blues 2026-27 watch guide covers the national TV games and the rest of the season's options.

Detroit

Pistons fans who don't use cable now have a streaming option. On September 22 the Pistons named DAZN their exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner. Pricing is $19.99 a month or $119.99 for the season, with an "Ultimate" tier at $24.99 a month or $139.99 a season that adds multiview and alternate feeds, plus a seven-day free trial, per MLive. Local over-the-air broadcasts stay on Scripps' WMYD TV20 in Detroit and partner stations around Michigan. Sports Media Watch counts the Pistons as the 11th NBA team to join DAZN this offseason.

Los Angeles

Clippers: still no announced local TV plan, with the NBA season a few weeks away. Sports Business Journal has reported that games will air on KTLA-5 with streaming on ClipperVision, per Sports Media Watch. The team hasn't confirmed it, so treat it as reported, not final. Our September 11 roundup has where the other displaced NBA teams landed.

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. MLB.com, "2026 MLB postseason schedule" (all four Wild Card Series, Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, on NBC Sports platforms; Phillies-Braves and Red Sox-Yankees on NBC/Peacock; White Sox-Astros and Cubs-Padres on Peacock/NBCSN), September 27, 2026: https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-mlb-playoff-and-world-series-schedule
2. NBC Sports, "2026 MLB Wild Card Series full schedule on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN: Matchups, times, preview" (Wild Card games on NBC also available on Peacock; NBCSN available on YouTube TV, Fubo and Xfinity; best-of-three format), September 27, 2026: https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/2026-mlb-wild-card-series-full-schedule-on-nbc-peacock-and-nbcsn-matchups-times-preview
3. Chicago Sun-Times, "Cubs, White Sox fans take one on chin from wild-card TV" (Cubs and Sox Games 1 and 2 on Peacock, $12.99/month, or NBCSN; NBCSN on Xfinity, Fubo and YouTube TV but missing from DirecTV and Astound/RCN; Sox at 4 p.m., Cubs at 9 p.m.; first MLB postseason games on a streaming service; Red Sox-Yankees and Phillies-Braves Games 1 and 2 on NBC), September 27, 2026: https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2026/09/27/chicago-cubs-white-sox-mlb-postseason-playoffs-padres-astros-nbc-nbcsn-peacock-streaming-prime-video-xfinity-fubo-youtubetv
4. NBC Chicago, "How to watch the White Sox Wild Card Series this week" (Games 1 and 2 at 4 p.m. CT on Peacock and NBCSN; Game 3 network and time depend on which other series are still going), September 27, 2026: https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-sports-bears-sox-cubs-bulls-blackhawks/how-to-watch-the-white-sox-wild-card-series-later-this-week/3994457/
5. Variety, "ESPN to Hike Prices of Streaming Plans Next Month" (effective Sept. 17: ESPN Unlimited $29.99 to $31.99/month and $299.99 to $319.99/year; ESPN Select $12.99 to $13.99/month and $129.99 to $139.99/year; Xfinity and YouTube TV subscribers can unlock ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost), August 24, 2026: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/espn-streaming-price-increase-espn-unlimited-1236841594/
6. Los Angeles Times, "Judge holds off on ruling in states' antitrust settlement with Paramount" (no immediate ruling at the Sept. 24 hearing; responses to Sen. Booker's letter due Sept. 28 at noon; ruling "in due course"; Zaslav expected close no later than early October), September 24, 2026: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-09-24/judge-holds-off-on-ruling-in-states-antitrust-paramount-settlement
7. St. Louis Blues (NHL.com), "Where to Watch" (Blue Note+ on Prime Video $19.99/month or $99.99/year in territory; FAQ: streaming requires an add-on subscription "regardless of whether you have a free Amazon account or are a Prime member"; purchase available "soon, before the start of the regular season"; Spectrum channel TBA; over-the-air options under discussion; out-of-market via ESPN+ with ESPN Select or Unlimited or NHL Center Ice on Spectrum or DIRECTV; season opens Oct. 2 at Dallas), accessed September 28, 2026: https://www.nhl.com/blues/fans/where-to-watch
8. The Hockey News, "St. Louis Blues Introduce Blue Note+ As Exclusive Multimedia Network For Telecasts" (Spectrum Select Plus package or above, or legacy Select package; channel to be announced), September 23, 2026: https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/st-louis-blues-introduce-blue-note-as-exclusive-multimedia-network-for-telecasts
9. Sports Business Journal, "NHL, Charter strike local carriage deal for Blue Jackets, Blues, Hurricanes, Wild" (multiyear Spectrum deal negotiated centrally by the NHL; the league remains in talks with other distributors), September 23, 2026: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/09/23/nhl-charter-strike-local-carriage-deal-for-blue-jackets-blues-hurricanes-wild/
10. MLive, "Detroit Pistons announce new streaming home for 2026-27 season" (DAZN exclusive DTC partner; $19.99/month or $119.99/season; Ultimate $24.99/month or $139.99/season; seven-day trial; over-the-air on WMYD TV20 and partner stations), September 22, 2026: https://www.mlive.com/pistons/2026/09/detroit-pistons-announce-new-streaming-home-for-2026-27-season.html
11. Sports Media Watch, "News: NHL, Pistons-DAZN, UFL and more" (Pistons are the 11th NBA team to join DAZN this offseason; Clippers haven't announced local plans; SBJ's Tom Friend reported KTLA-5 plus ClipperVision), September 24, 2026: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/09/nhl-charter-dazn-detroit-pistons-streaming-ufl-expansion/