The 2026 Detroit Tigers season is here.
The Tigers are facing the San Diego Padres for their Opening Day game today, Thursday, March 25, but you might have to do some homework to figure out how to watch it.
With the Tigers leaving FanDuel Sports Network to create Detroit SportsNet through MLB Media, which will eventually host the Red Wings for the 2026-27 season as well, fans won’t be able to just flip to their normal channel for Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons games.
The Tigers and cable providers took the negotiations for where to place the channel right up to Wednesday before striking deals throughout most of Michigan.
The channels:
Fans can pay $19.99 per month or $189.99 for a full year for Detroit Sports Net to stream the games, and can learn more about streaming subscriptions for the Tigers and Red Wings at Tigers.com/detroitsportsnet and DetroitRedWings.com/detroitsportsnet.
As for the game itself on Thursday, it should be a fun one, with aces Tarik Skubal and Nick Pivetta on the mound for the season opener.
Skubal is chasing his third straight American League Cy Young Award while Pivetta is coming off the best year of his career, posting a 13-5 record and a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts last year for the Padres.
However, Thursday’s game may be most remembered for top Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle making his MLB debut. McGonigle was named to the Opening Day roster on Tuesday, March 24, after an impressive spring training made it impossible to keep him off the team.
Will he deliver on his hype in his first opportunity?
Here’s what you need to know for Game 1 of the Tigers-Padres series, how to watch the game and more:
What channel is Tigers vs Padres on?
All three games of the Tigers’ upcoming series against the Padres will be broadcasted locally on Detroit Sports Net.
When do the Tigers play the Padres on Opening Day?
Tigers vs Padres pitching matchup on Opening Day
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will make his season debut after pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and for the Tigers in spring training.
Tigers vs Padres series schedule
The first series of the regular season for the Tigers will have different start times for all three games.
Is Jason Benetti announcing Tigers-Padres Opening Day?
No, but it’s not because he’s no longer part of the team. Benetti will be calling the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks for NBC after signing a new deal to call national games for them. He will still be fulfilling his role as play-by-play man for the majority of Tigers games, but will be absent on most Sunday broadcasts, calling “Sunday Night Baseball.”
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.
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.
Contact Andrew Birkle via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What channel is Tigers Opening Day game vs Padres? How to watch Detroit SportsNet
Reporting by Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
