WPIX-TV announced Monday it is extending its deal with SNY to carry New York Mets games through 2028, which means Keith Hernandez has three more years to forget his PIX 11 shirt at the hotel.
The agreement ensures PIX 11 will broadcast 30 Mets games each season from 2026 through 2028, including 25 regular-season games and five spring training contests. The regular-season games will air primarily on Friday nights under the “Mets Game of the Week” banner, complete with 30-minute pregame shows.
For the first time, these games will also air on Nexstar-owned stations in five upstate New York markets and Hartford, Connecticut. That means fans in Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse, and Utica will get access to Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling calling games.
PIX 11 and SNY have been partners since 2006, making this one of the more stable relationships in New York sports media. The Friday night slot gives PIX 11 a consistent weekly anchor during baseball season, while SNY continues producing the broadcasts with its acclaimed booth, which Awful Announcing’s readers ranked No. 2 in baseball.
The expansion into upstate markets makes sense for Nexstar. Those areas probably have plenty of displaced New York fans who moved north but still want to follow the Mets. With authenticated streaming available in each market, fans can watch games even when they’re not home.
Chris McDonnell, Nexstar’s VP and General Manager in New York, called the deal “a clear demonstration of the enduring power of broadcast television and PIX 11’s unique connection to Mets fans across the region.”
The deal comes as local sports broadcasting continues to evolve. While other teams chase streaming deals or get caught up in regional sports network drama, PIX 11 and the Mets are sticking with what works. The partnership keeps games on free television while expanding into new markets.
For Mets fans, it means more of the same reliable coverage they’ve gotten from PIX 11 for nearly two decades. Cohen, Hernandez, and Darling will continue doing what they do best, and viewers in five new markets get to experience what New York fans have enjoyed for years.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.