Watching the 2025-26 NBA games will be more expensive than ever.
ESPN and TNT will no longer be the main broadcasters of NBA games. Instead, four different services from this season will showcase the game: ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Amazon Prime.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked about rising NBA streaming costs and offered a strange response.
Silver said several games to watch are free on TV. He also said the highlights are a big part of the game and could be consumed through social media. Silver calls the NBA “highlights-based sports.”
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has identified the biggest issue with rising costs to watch NBA games.
He spoke with Tim Bontemps and Tim McMahon on the Hoop Collective Podcast.
“I think the league actually has an incredible answer to this question: Adam (silver) was in preparation and was on the way.
“This is here in 2025 and he said he never believed this 10 years ago. He added that there are more games on free TV than there were generations.
“The streaming issue, the high cost is not a national game. It’s because of local games because these RSNs failed to get a local game for $39, $49 a month in some of these cities.”
Peacock will host a double header every Monday, and will air two regional games every Tuesday.
On Wednesday nights, ESPN regularly wins doubleheaders, and Amazon Prime will air Primetime games on Thursday night after Thursday night’s soccer is over.
Amazon also airs doubleheaders on Friday nights, and ESPN sometimes wins games on Fridays.
ABC will air Primetime games on Saturday nights, just like last year, but Amazon Prime will also showcase daytime games.
Sunday’s NBA games will air on NBC once Sunday night’s soccer ends.