Ben Davis gets an added role on NBC Sports Philadelphia, among other Phillies TV changes

Phillies announcer Ben Davis will spend more time in the dugout this season, just one of several new wrinkles fans will experience on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

It all starts on Thursday on opening day, when the Phillies host the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park at 4:15 p.m. on NBC10 and NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Davis, part of the Phillies’ broadcast team since 2015, was in the dugout for a couple of games last season and during spring training. With the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, thought it made sense to get Davis out of the booth more during key series, including ones against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I think having Davis, as a former catcher, at field level is going to give viewers greater insight about what they’re seeing” with the replay system, Matcham said.

The role will also help fill a void created by the departure of Taryn Hatcher, whose contract was not renewed after having spent the last few seasons as an in-stadium reporter for Phillies broadcasts.

Davis will still call his fair share of games in the booth as part of a rotation that includes former Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr. and fan favorite John Kruk, who will be in the booth Thursday. Also back will be Tom McCarthy, who is entering his 20th season as the TV voice of the Phillies.

Matcham, who produced sideline reports for years at NFL Media, thinks in-stadium reports during baseball games are about bringing in the vibes of the ballpark, since not many injuries or issues arise during games.

So viewers will see digital video producer Spencer McKercher interacting more with fans at Citizens Bank Park. NBC Sports Philadelphia is also bringing back veteran Phillies reporter Jim Salisbury and pairing him with new hire Cole Weintraub, who will be available to handle breaking news.

Also returning is 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, who is slated to call six to eight Sunday games. Hamels will fill part of the void left by Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, who decided not to return after 12 seasons as part of the broadcast crew.

“I still will be visiting Citizens Bank Park on a regular basis in 2026,” Schmidt said in a statement last month, “but will focus on spending time with sponsors and not in the broadcast booth.”

Nothing is changing in the studio. Michael Barkann — one of the few remaining personalities from the Comcast SportsNet days — is returning for his 29th season as the host of Phillies pre- and postgame coverage. He’ll be joined most nights by Ricky Bottalico, with a sprinkling of Davis and Amaro.

As far as new broadcast wrinkles, Matcham said they’re adding a camera in the dirt of the infield (once it’s approved by the league) and expanding the use of a wire camera that runs along the third base line.

“It gives such a unique, almost 360-degree view of what’s happening on the field,” Matcham said. “It is perfect for home runs, and I can’t think of a better place than to have it in Philadelphia with Kyle Schwarber.”

NBC Sports Philadelphia will televise 148 of the Phillies’ 162 games this season, with eight airing on NBC10, although that could change if the Phillies again are contenders late in the season.

If there is a true soundtrack to summer, it’s provided by longtime radio announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, who will be calling Phillies games for the 21st season.

Former Phillies shortstop Kevin Stocker is also returning to call most road series and a few home games, as is Gregg Murphy, who’s back as the broadcast’s pre- and postgame host.

94.1 WIP will continue to be the team’s flagship radio station, broadcasting all 162 games as part of a multiyear agreement signed in 2024.

As for the Spanish-language broadcast, Bill Kulik and Angel Castillo will back, but Oscar Budejen is moving on after five years with the Phillies. He’ll still be heard on the Sunday night Phillies Weekly show.

“I am very thankful to the Phillies organization and Spanish Beisbol Network for the opportunity to share the ‘Campanazo’ with fans,” Budejen said.

After more than three decades on ESPN, Sunday Night Baseball is jumping ship to NBC as part of the network’s three-year, nearly $600 million TV deal with MLB.

The network will begin its 2026 schedule with two games Thursday, but because of NBA commitments, just one Sunday Night Baseball game will air on NBC between now and June.

The Phillies are slated to be featured on Sunday Night Baseball four times, beginning with their April 19 matchup against the Braves. That will stream exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service, so have your wallet and logins ready (more on that later).

The other three — June 21 vs. the New York Mets, July 26 vs. the New York Yankees, and Sept. 3 vs. the Braves — are all slated to air on NBC.

Veteran play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti will be the voice of Sunday Night Baseball, along with a rotating cast of analysts who will have some relationship to the teams playing. So you can expect Kruk or another Phillies announcer on the call when Philly is playing.

Sam Flood, NBC’s executive producer and president of production, said the biggest complaint fans have during national broadcasts and the playoffs is that they want to hear their local announcers. NBC experimented with including local MLB personalities for a few seasons on its morning Peacock games, and Flood said it went so well that the network wanted to expand it.

“It’s the best way to know exactly what’s going on inside each clubhouse, on the field ... and what matters most to those fans,” Flood said during a conference call this week.

One feature NBC is rolling out is a plan to take viewers “inside the pitch” with two veteran pitchers the network landed as analysts — three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and longtime reliever Adam Ottavino.

“We’ll do this maybe once an inning, every other inning — depends on the matchup, depends on the situation," Flood said. “But the idea is to really take you through how Adam would approach pitching to [Juan] Soto or ‘The Password’ [Jhostynxon Garcia] ... just a new approach and a new away to attack it.”

One again, Phillies fans will need to sign up for a few streaming services to watch every game. And the price is going up.

First up is Apple TV+, which is bringing back its exclusive Friday Night Baseball doubleheader package for the fifth season. Apple TV+ now runs $12.99 a month, up about $3 from last year, though there is a free trial.

The Phillies are slated to appear twice during the first half of the season — April 24 against the Braves and May 19 against the Dodgers. The Phillies will almost certainly appear on a few Friday Night Baseball games following the All-Star break, which will be announced sometime in June.

The broadcast crews from last season are back, including onetime Phillies pitcher-turned-analyst Dontrelle Willis.

Netflix is also jumping into the fray with three games this season, including Wednesday’s season-opening matchup between the Yankees and San Francisco Giants.

MLB Network is producing the games, with Matt Vasgersian handling play-by-play alongside former Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia and onetime Phillies slugger Hunter Pence. But Netflix made a big splash by landing controversial home run king Barry Bonds as part of its studio coverage.

One Phillies game is set to stream exclusively on Netflix — the Aug. 13 matchup against the Minnesota Twins in MLB’s annual Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

Fans will also need Netflix to stream the Home Run Derby, which is taking place at Citizens Bank Park.

Netflix has more than 81 million U.S. subscribers, so many Phillies fans already have it. If not, the least-expensive plan runs $7.99 a month.

Then there’s Peacock, which in addition to streaming some early Sunday Night Baseball games is also taking over the morning Sunday Leadoff package of games that streamed on Roku Channel last season.

Roku Channel is free, while Peacock Premium (the cheapest tier to stream live sports) will set you back $10.99 a month, although some Xfinity subscribers can get a discounted or free subscription, and most of the Peacock-exclusive games will be simulcast on the recently relaunched NBC Sports Network.

The good news? As of now, the Phillies aren’t slated to appear on Peacock’s morning package. So there are a few more bucks to spend at the ballpark.