Sunday, October 26, 2025

The way to watch the 2025-2026 NBA season: What streaming providers do you want?

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Desk of Contents

The very best NBA streaming offers at a look:


ESPN logo


Peacock logo


Greatest for Prime Video video games


Prime Video only

$8.99/month
(save $6/month in comparison with Prime subscription)

Prime Video logo


NBA League Pass logo with blue font and blue and red player illustration

For the primary time in additional than 20 years, the NBA has new broadcast partners. That signifies that, like different sports leagues, watching video games is about to get much more sophisticated.

A brand new NBA season is about to start, and whether or not or not you continue to have cable, you are going to want a streaming service or two to catch the motion stay. Between regional sports activities networks, blackout video games, and nationwide broadcasts, we’ve so much to cowl. Buckle up, basketball followers. We have your information to watching the 2025-2026 NBA season, together with the entire finest streaming offers.

When does the 2025-2026 NBA season begin?

The NBA season formally ideas off on Oct. 21 with a primetime double header — Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers. The 82-game regular season wraps up April 12, 2025.

What channels do I want to observe stay NBA video games this season?

The NBA’s long-standing contract with TNT has formally concluded. This season, you may want NBC as a substitute. After 23 lengthy years, the league struck up a new deal with NBC — the community and its streaming counterpart, Peacock, will air as much as 100 common season video games on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights. It would have been 8,532 days between NBC’s final NBA broadcast and the 2025-2026 season opener. Along with the video games broadcast on NBC, there can even be a number of video games completely streaming on Peacock.

Apart from NBC, the NBA has additionally struck up a landmark deal with Amazon this season. For the primary time, Prime Video is getting a slice of the basketball schedule. It was solely a matter of time, TBH. Prime Video will current unique world protection for 66 common season video games, in addition to a brand new Black Friday NBA recreation, all video games from the knockout rounds of this yr’s NBA Cup, the play-in match, and choose playoff video games.

Along with NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video, you may additionally want ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and, in fact, your regional sports activities community, as in years previous. Here is a breakdown of the final TV schedule for nationwide broadcasts:

  • Sunday — ABC/ESPN and NBC/Peacock

  • Monday — Peacock

  • Tuesday — NBC/Peacock

  • Wednesday — ESPN

  • Thursday — Prime Video

  • Friday — Prime Video and ESPN

  • Saturday — ABC/ESPN and Prime Video

The way to watch NBA video games this season with out cable

Nationwide broadcasts

There will likely be 247 nationwide broadcasts this season, with video games airing on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video, in comparison with final season’s 172. As famous above, even you probably have cable, you may nonetheless want Peacock and Prime Video so as to watch these unique video games. No cable? No worries. Peacock has you coated with NBC broadcasts in addition to Peacock exclusives, and ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service has you coated with ESPN and ABC broadcasts. You may watch practically 250 video games this season with Peacock, ESPN Limitless, and Prime Video alone.

Native broadcasts

Sadly, nationwide broadcasts solely make up a small fraction of the complete slate of video games. Most video games are broadcast regionally by way of regional sports activities networks (RSNs). For these video games, it can largely come down as to whether or not the staff you need to watch is in-market or out-of-market.

In-market video games:

In an effort to watch in-market video games, you may want entry to your native RSN. Many of those networks (however not all) provide their very own streaming subscriptions, like FanDuel Sports Network, Monumental Sports Network, or Gotham Sports. For those who’re uncertain which RSN that you must watch your native staff, you possibly can try the FAQs beneath.

Probably the most direct strategy to entry these RSNs is thru their particular person subscription presents, however not each RSN has its personal streaming counterpart. For those who do not, you may want a cable different like Fubo or DirecTV Stream, which may price a reasonably penny.

Out-of-market video games:

For those who’re a fan of an out-of-market staff, you may want NBA League Pass. League Go streams virtually all regional broadcasts for groups that are not in your native market. For instance, should you stay in New York Metropolis, you can watch each staff by way of NBA League Go besides the Knicks and Nets. NBA League Go prices $16.99 monthly to observe on one gadget with commercials or $24.99 monthly to observe on as much as three gadgets with in-arena streams (no commercials).

What’s an RSN, and which one do I want?

In contrast to the NFL, which presents nationwide broadcasts of most video games with particular in-market alternative video games, the NBA (in addition to the NHL and MLB) complicates issues with regional sports activities networks (RSNs). These are basically sports-specific TV channels devoted to an area market or geographic space. For those who stay in the identical area as your favourite staff, you may must know which RSN broadcasts your staff’s video games. Some examples of RSNs are FanDuel Sports activities Community (which changed Bally Sports activities), NBC Sports activities, and Altitude Sports activities. Head over to the NBA schedule should you aren’t certain which community your staff performs on. For a whole listing of every staff’s RSN, see the FAQs beneath.

For those who actually solely care about your native staff, many RSNs provide subscriptions so that you can tune in with out cable. For instance, Fan Duel Sports Network Southeast (which incorporates Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies video games) is $19.99 monthly or $124.99 for the entire NBA season. Monumental Sports Network (which incorporates the Washington Wizards) is $19.99 monthly or $199.99 per yr. A fast Google seek for your staff’s RSN will let you understand if there is a separate subscription out there. After all, these RSN subscriptions won’t embrace nationally broadcast video games on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Prime Video, or NBA TV.

The very best stay TV streaming offers for NBA video games

Greatest for ESPN and ABC video games: Save 16% on the ESPN Unlimited yearly plan

ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, launched this past summer, unlocks entry to your entire suite of ESPN networks and providers in a single subscription. You will get to stream NBA video games from ESPN and ABC (in addition to loads of different sports activities and leagues). It sometimes prices $29.99 monthly, however should you decide to a full yr, you may save about 16% or practically $60. After all, you possibly can watch extra than simply NBA video games, making the yearly plan value it, significantly for followers of a number of sports activities.

Greatest for NBC and Peacock video games: Save 17% on Peacock annual subscription

When Peacock is not working any type of particular (which it does a couple of instances per yr — preserve a watch out round Black Friday), the most effective Peacock deal for most individuals on any given day is the annual subscription plan. While you pay upfront for the yr, you may find yourself getting 12 months for the value of 10. A month-to-month subscription with advertisements normally prices $10.99 monthly (which provides as much as $131.88), however paying upfront drops that worth to solely $109.99 (which breaks right down to $9.17 monthly). That is a complete financial savings of 17%.

Mashable Offers

The Peacock Premium Plus plan prices $169.99 per yr (which breaks right down to about $14.16 monthly as a substitute of $16.99) and presents ad-free content material. Dwell sports activities, nevertheless, will nonetheless embrace advertisements. For those who’re subscribing to Peacock particularly for NBA video games, you may as effectively go for the cheaper choice.

Extra Peacock offers:

Greatest for Prime Video video games: Save $6 monthly on Prime Video solely

For those who’re solely fascinated by Prime Video for the NBA video games, you in all probability do not care about all the additional perks of being a Prime member. In that case, you need not pay $14.99 monthly for Prime. You may merely subscribe to Prime Video as a standalone service for under $8.99 monthly as a substitute and save your self $6 monthly.

After all, Amazon makes it unnecessarily sophisticated to enroll in Prime Video by itself. While you go to enroll in a subscription, be sure you choose the choice to “see extra plans” or “change plans.” Then, navigate to the choice for Prime Video by itself. You may nonetheless cancel everytime you need, simply as you’ll a full Prime membership.

Extra Prime Video offers:

Greatest for out-of-market video games: Save over 40% on NBA League Pass annual subscription

$109.99 per season with advertisements, $159.99 per season with out advertisements



Just like NFL’s Sunday Ticket, minus the outrageous charge, NBA League Go offers followers entry to stay out-of-market video games. Plus, you may get to take pleasure in video games from the NBA’s archive, evaluation, documentaries, highlights, and extra. Native video games on NBA TV, in addition to nationally broadcast video games, will likely be blacked out stay. You may tune into regionally blacked-out video games three days after the stay broadcast and nationally broadcast video games three hours after. It prices $16.99 or $24.99 monthly, however should you pay for the entire season upfront, it will solely price you $109.99 or $159.99. The costlier choice unlocks ad-free viewing and the flexibility to stream on three gadgets without delay.



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