A primer on the Cardinals' new TV deal: How your viewing options are changing.

The Cardinals on Thursday announced a new deal to stay with FanDuel Sports Network, the channel formerly known as Bally Sports.

That's the same network, though under a new name, that has broadcast the team's games for years.

The biggest change, however, is the inclusion of direct-to-consumer streaming, a long-awaited and much-sought-after addition to your options to view the Cardinals.

The lack of direct-to-consumer streaming is part of the reason for the team's significantly declining viewership levels over the past two seasons.

It left many fans frustrated, blacked out from games.

Here's a look at what the new deal means and how it impacts your options to watch Cardinals games.

What if you're a cable television subscriber with access to FanDuel Sports?

If you already have FanDuel Sports Midwest as part of your cable or satellite television package, little changes. FanDuel Sports is available in St. Louis on Spectrum, AT&T and DirecTV.

You will still be able to stream games, as well, meaning that you can use a login from your TV provider to watch Cardinals games via the FanDuel Sports website or its app.

If you've been keeping your cable television subscription mainly for Cardinals games, the new deal also provides you the option to cut the cord while still watching the Cardinals.

If you have cable or satellite but your provider doesn't offer FanDuel Sports Midwest, you will be able to, assuming you're within the team's extensive television territory, pay FanDuel Sports directly to stream the games.

What's direct-to-consumer streaming?

Direct-to-consumer streaming cuts out the middle man, the cable company. So if you don't want to subscribe to cable television (or a streaming equivalent like Fubo), you can buy access to Cardinals games as long as you're in the team's television territory.

Under the new deal, fans in the Cardinals' television territory will be able to purchase a subscription directly from FanDuel Sports Network to watch Cardinals games, either via the FanDuel website or its app on your smart TV, cellphone or tablet.

Pricing details have not yet been released, but it could be about $20 a month. That's the cost to stream the network's current offerings. That's also what's charged by some other MLB teams. A discount could be offered if you choose to pay for the full season.

What is the Cardinals' television territory?

Every Major League Baseball team has a specific television territory , and the Cardinals' includes all or parts of nine states and is one of baseball's largest. It overlaps with territories of numerous surrounding teams. Many fans outside of major metropolitan areas are in the territories of multiple teams.

The Cardinals' television market includes most of Illinois and Missouri, all of Iowa, Arkansas and Oklahoma and parts of southeast Kansas in and around Pittsburg, northwest Mississippi, western Tennessee, western Kentucky and southwest Indiana.

Fans in some areas, including all of Iowa, are within the television territory of six teams.

If you live in any area that's part of the Cardinals' television territory, you will soon be able to purchase direct-to-consumer streaming from FanDuel Sports Network.

How does the deal expand access across the team's television territory?

Television providers in many of those areas within the team's territory but far from St. Louis don't offer FanDuel Sports Midwest, so residents didn't have a way to legally watch Cardinals games.

Sometimes carriage disputes, or squabbles between a cable company and FanDuel Sports' parent company, Diamond Sports Group cut off fans' access, as well.

The team's games on MLB.TV are blacked out within the Cardinals' television territory, as that product is intended only for out-of-market fans.

Cardinals ownership has called these blackout policies "archaic."

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said at a luncheon in 2023 that at the time only 15% of homes in the Cardinals' television territory had access to the team's games.

"It's because of cord cutting and the fact that operators like Diamond have not even gotten full distribution within the traditional cable bundle," Manfred said, according to The Athletic .

"The problem is we granted exclusivity in places where the cable distributors never actually distributed the product," Manfred said. "Those people are just out of luck right now."

Cardinals fans in far-flung corners of the team's TV territory are no longer out of luck. They will be able to buy directly from FanDuel Sports.

Why do the Cardinals have such a large television territory?

For many years, the Cardinals were baseball's most southerly and westerly team. This changed when the Athletics relocated to Kansas City in 1955.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Cardinals may have been the nearest or perhaps most accessible team for many, and the booming KMOX radio signal blanketed the middle of the country with Cardinals games nightly. The team still maintains a large radio network footprint , covering parts of eight states.

The team's television territory exists mainly to guard the exclusivity of television rights-holders, protecting their investment by making sure that the vast majority of Cardinals fans who want to watch games pay FanDuel Sports, either indirectly through a cable subscription or, now directly via direct-to-consumer streaming.

The television territory is not intended to boost in-person attendance, as it includes places as far as a 12-hour one-way drive from Busch Stadium.

Who can't purchase direct-to-consumer streaming? What are your options?

If you live outside of the Cardinals' television territory , there won't be much of a change. To watch Cardinals games, you'll likely still need to purchase MLB.TV or its television equivalent, MLB Extra Innings. Both air out-of-market games.

Fans can input their ZIP code on MLB's website to make sure they won't be blacked out from Cardinals games before purchasing MLB.TV .

Digital production editor