The National Basketball Association entered a new media era with the 2025/26 season. After 36 years on Turner, the long-running TNT Inside the NBA package shifted, with ESPN/ABC remaining the marquee partner (Finals, Christmas Day, Eastern Conference Finals in rotation) and two new national partners joining: NBC Sports/Peacock (Sunday Night NBA) and Amazon Prime Video (Friday/Saturday primetime). The new rights map runs through 2036. For US viewers, the practical change is that NBA national games are now spread across ESPN, ABC, Peacock and Amazon Prime — with NBA League Pass still handling every out-of-market game.
Where to watch legally in the US
| Window | US rights holder | Service | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Night NBA | NBC | NBC antenna / Peacock | Free OTA or $7.99 |
| Friday/Saturday primetime | Amazon | Amazon Prime Video | $14.99 |
| Tuesday/Wednesday national | ESPN | ESPN linear / ESPN+ | $11.99 + vMVPD |
| Christmas Day games (5) | ESPN + ABC | ESPN/ABC + Peacock | Free OTA or vMVPD |
| MLK Day games | ESPN, NBC, Amazon | Mix | Mix |
| All-Star Weekend | TNT / NBC | Peacock + vMVPD | $7.99 + vMVPD |
| First-round playoffs | ESPN, NBC, Amazon | Mix | Mix |
| Eastern/Western Conference Finals | ESPN/ABC + NBC | ABC antenna + Peacock | Free OTA or $7.99 |
| NBA Finals | ABC | ABC antenna + ESPN+ | Free OTA or $11.99 |
| Out-of-market regular season | NBA | NBA League Pass | $14.99 / $99 season |
| In-market RSN | RSN (Bally, YES, etc.) | vMVPD (YouTube TV, Fubo) | $75-100 |
2025/26 season highlights
| Date | Matchup / event | Window (ET) | US broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 2025 | Opening Night doubleheader | 7:30pm + 10:00pm | ESPN |
| Dec 25, 2025 | Christmas Day 5-game slate | All day | ESPN, ABC + Peacock |
| Jan 19, 2026 | MLK Day games | All day | ESPN, NBC, Amazon |
| Feb 13–15, 2026 | NBA All-Star Weekend (LA) | All weekend | Peacock + TNT Sports |
| Apr 11, 2026 | Regular season ends | All day | League Pass + RSNs |
| Apr 18 – Jun 22, 2026 | Playoffs + Finals | All postseason | ESPN, ABC, NBC, Amazon |
| Jun 4–22, 2026 | NBA Finals 2026 | 8:30pm | ABC + ESPN+ |
How to watch
- Pick your coverage level. Casual fan → antenna + Peacock for national windows. Out-of-market diehard → League Pass. In-market fan → vMVPD with RSN.
- Subscribe: Peacock $7.99/mo at peacocktv.com; Amazon Prime $14.99/mo; ESPN+ $11.99/mo at espn.com; NBA League Pass $14.99/mo or $99/season at nba.com/leaguepass.
- For YouTube TV NBA Finals access, YouTube TV ($82.99/mo) carries ABC, ESPN, and the local RSNs — the simplest single-bill stack for following the league nationally.
- Install apps on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox, PlayStation, smart TVs. The NBA app on Smart TVs is the home for League Pass + condensed games.
- For Finals, ABC over an antenna is the simplest free path. Stream simulcasts to ESPN+, the ESPN app and the ESPN section of YouTube TV.
League Pass quirks worth knowing
League Pass blackouts cover your home team in your local market — the home team’s games air on the local RSN (Bally Sports, YES Network, NBC Sports regional, etc.). National TV games (ESPN, TNT, ABC, NBC, Amazon) are also blacked out on League Pass at game time and become available about 24 hours later in the League Pass archive. The Team Pass ($99/season for a single team) only makes sense for out-of-market fans of a specific franchise — in-market viewers can’t access their team’s home games on it.
For other US sports streaming guides see the homepage and Peacock NBA Sunday Night guide.