The 2025-26 NBA season is the first under the league’s new 11-year national rights deal, the most significant reshuffle of NBA broadcast rights since the early 1990s. The carriers and the schedule both look different this year.
ESPN and ABC continue as a national rights partner, retaining the NBA Finals and a slate of regular-season Wednesday and Saturday games. ABC carries the Christmas Day showcase as before.
NBC Sports returned to the NBA after a 23-year absence and now carries a Tuesday and Sunday national package, plus a share of the playoffs. The NBC games stream on Peacock as well as airing on broadcast NBC.
Amazon Prime Video is new to the NBA this cycle, carrying a Thursday and Friday night national package, the in-season tournament (NBA Cup) final rounds, and a share of the first-round playoff games.
TNT Sports is no longer carrying the NBA, the network ended its 36-year NBA relationship after the 2024-25 season.
NBA TV continues as the league-operated cable channel, carrying a national game most nights when no other broadcaster has it.
NBA League Pass is the out-of-market option for fans whose team is not in their local broadcast region. Subscription is $24.99 per month or $99.99 per year for the standard tier; League Pass Premium at $34.99 per month adds in-arena audio and removes mid-roll commercials.
A typical 2025-26 week: Tuesday on NBC and Peacock; Wednesday on ESPN; Thursday on Amazon Prime; Friday on Amazon Prime; Saturday on ESPN or ABC; Sunday on NBC and ABC; Monday usually on NBA TV. Christmas Day games air on ABC and ESPN.
The first round splits across ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock and Amazon Prime. The conference semifinals and conference finals are split between the major partners. The NBA Finals air on ABC every year under the new deal.
Regional sports networks continue to carry the local team’s games not selected for national broadcast. The RSN landscape changed materially in 2024 with the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports; most affected teams have either moved to over-the-air broadcast partners or to direct-to-consumer streaming through their local rights-holder.
We list official rights-holders only.