NBAUpdated Jun 14, 2026
How to Watch the NBA 2026-27 Season in the United States
Every way to watch the 2026-27 NBA season in the US under the new media deal — NBC and Peacock, ESPN and ABC, and Amazon Prime Video, plus NBA League Pass. Real prices in USD and the cheapest plan to follow your team.
By Matchcast Editorial · Published
Broadcasters
4
Free options
No
Coverage
Global
The short answer
To watch the NBA in the US in 2026-27: national games are split across three partners under the league's new 11-year media deal — NBC (with games streaming on Peacock, $10.99/month), Disney's ESPN and ABC (streamed via the ESPN app, $29.99/month for ESPN Unlimited), and Amazon Prime Video ($8.99/month with Prime). Roughly 75 regular-season games air on free broadcast TV (ABC and NBC) each season. To follow an out-of-market team, NBA League Pass costs $16.99/month or $109/year. No single service carries every game — the national slate is shared across NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video.
The new NBA media deal: NBC, ESPN/ABC and Amazon
Beginning with the 2025-26 season, the NBA moved to a new 11-year media-rights agreement running through 2035-36, splitting national coverage across three partners: NBCUniversal (NBC and Peacock), Disney (ESPN and ABC), and Amazon (Prime Video). The 2026-27 season runs under the same deal. This is the structure every US NBA fan now navigates — the long-standing TNT era has ended, and the national games are shared three ways.
Under the deal, NBCUniversal airs up to 100 games a season, Disney around 80, and Amazon Prime Video around 66. Each partner has its weekly windows: Peacock hosts a Monday doubleheader, NBC airs regional games on Tuesday, ESPN runs its traditional Wednesday doubleheader, and Amazon Prime takes Thursday primetime (after Thursday Night Football concludes in January) plus Friday doubleheaders.
Importantly, roughly 75 regular-season games air on broadcast TV — ABC and NBC — each season, a large increase over the previous deal. That means a meaningful slice of the national slate is available free over the air, before any streaming subscription.
NBC and Peacock
NBC returns to the NBA under the new deal, airing games on the NBC broadcast network (free over the air) and streaming its full NBA slate — including streaming-exclusive games — on Peacock. Peacock Premium costs $10.99/month (or $109.99/year), with Premium Plus at $16.99/month for ad-free viewing and the Select tier at $7.99/month.
NBC's games include the Monday Peacock doubleheader and the Tuesday regional NBC windows, plus a share of the playoffs. For a fan who wants NBC's slate without cable, Peacock at $10.99/month is the route — it carries the NBC NBA games plus the Peacock streaming-only games that are not on the broadcast network.
The NBC broadcast-network games are free over the air with an antenna; Peacock is required for the streaming-exclusive games and for streaming the broadcast games on demand or on mobile.
ESPN, ABC and the ESPN app
Disney continues as an NBA partner under the new deal, airing games on ESPN (cable) and ABC (free broadcast network), including the marquee ABC Sunday and Saturday primetime windows and a large share of the playoffs and the NBA Finals. ABC remains the network home of the NBA Finals.
For cord-cutters, Disney's standalone ESPN app — the direct-to-consumer service launched in August 2025 — carries ESPN's NBA games. ESPN Unlimited costs $29.99/month (or $299.99/year) and includes all of ESPN's linear networks plus ESPN on ABC; the cheaper ESPN Select tier is $11.99/month. There is also a Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle at a promotional $29.99/month for the first 12 months.
The ABC broadcast games — including the Finals — are free over the air with an antenna. ESPN cable games require either a cable/virtual-cable package or the standalone ESPN app.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is the third national partner, airing around 66 games a season including Thursday-night primetime games (after Thursday Night Football concludes in January), Friday doubleheaders, a share of the playoffs, and the NBA Cup knockout coverage. Prime Video also carries select exclusive games not available on any other US service.
Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership; as a standalone Prime Video subscription it costs $8.99/month. For the many US households that already have Amazon Prime, the NBA games on Prime Video come at no additional cost — one of the better-value routes into the national slate.
Between NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video, the three services together carry the full national slate; no single one carries every national game, which is the key thing US fans need to understand under the new deal.
NBA League Pass: following an out-of-market team
NBA League Pass — the league's own streaming service — is the way to follow a specific out-of-market team and watch games not on your national partners. League Pass costs $16.99/month or $109/year for the standard plan, with League Pass Premium (ad-free, in-arena streams) at $24.99/month or $159.99/year. A single-team NBA Team Pass is $13.99/month, and NBA TV standalone is $8.99/month.
The catch is blackouts: League Pass carries out-of-market games, but nationally televised games (on NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC or Prime Video) and your local team's games may be blacked out and must be watched on the relevant national or regional service. League Pass is therefore best for a fan following a team in a different market from where they live.
For a fan whose team is local, the regional sports network or the new direct local-team streaming options carry the local games; League Pass is the out-of-market complement, not a full replacement for the national services.
The cheapest path to the 2026-27 NBA season
For a casual fan: roughly 75 regular-season games air free over the air on ABC and NBC, including the NBA Finals on ABC — so an antenna alone covers a substantial slice of the season, including the biggest games, for $0.
For a fan who wants the streaming national slate without cable: Peacock at $10.99/month (NBC games) plus Prime Video at $8.99/month (or free with an existing Amazon Prime membership) covers two of the three partners affordably; add the ESPN app ($29.99/month ESPN Unlimited, or $11.99/month Select) for the ESPN/ABC games when you want them.
For a fan following a specific out-of-market team: NBA League Pass at $109/year is the best-value pick, complemented by an antenna for the free ABC/NBC national games. The optimal budget setup combines free over-the-air ABC/NBC, an existing Amazon Prime, and a single month of the ESPN app or Peacock for the playoff rounds — following the full NBA season, including the Finals, for well under the cost of a full cable package.
NBA Broadcasters
- VisitNBC / PeacockPay TVPeacock $10.99/mo; NBC free over the airNBCPeacock
National NBA partner under the new 11-year deal — up to 100 games a season. NBC broadcast games are free over the air; Peacock ($10.99/mo, $109.99/yr; Premium Plus $16.99/mo) streams the full NBA slate including streaming-exclusive games and the Monday doubleheader.
- VisitESPN / ABCPay TVESPN app $29.99/mo (Unlimited); ABC free over the airESPNABC
National NBA partner — around 80 games plus a large playoff share and the NBA Finals on ABC. ABC broadcast games (including the Finals) are free over the air; ESPN cable games stream via the standalone ESPN app (Unlimited $29.99/mo or $299.99/yr; Select $11.99/mo).
- VisitAmazon Prime VideoStreaming$8.99/mo (or included with Amazon Prime)
National NBA partner — around 66 games including Thursday primetime, Friday doubleheaders, a playoff share, the NBA Cup knockouts and select exclusives. Included with an Amazon Prime membership; $8.99/mo as standalone Prime Video.
- VisitNBA League PassStreaming$16.99/mo or $109/year
The league's own service for following an out-of-market team — every out-of-market game live and on demand. Premium (ad-free) $24.99/mo or $159.99/yr; Team Pass $13.99/mo; NBA TV $8.99/mo. Subject to blackouts on nationally televised and local-team games.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I watch the NBA for free in the United States?
Partly, and more than before. Under the new media deal roughly 75 regular-season games air free over the air on ABC and NBC each season, including the NBA Finals on ABC — so an antenna alone covers a substantial slice of the season at $0. The streaming-exclusive games on Peacock, the ESPN app and Prime Video are paid.
What channel is the NBA on in the US in 2026-27?
National games are split three ways under the new 11-year deal: NBC (with Peacock streaming), ESPN and ABC (via the ESPN app), and Amazon Prime Video. ABC is the broadcast home of the NBA Finals. No single service carries every national game — the slate is shared across NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video.
How much does it cost to stream the NBA in the US?
Peacock is $10.99/month (NBC games), Prime Video is $8.99/month or free with Amazon Prime (Amazon games), and the standalone ESPN app is $29.99/month for ESPN Unlimited or $11.99/month for Select (ESPN/ABC games). NBA League Pass for out-of-market games is $16.99/month or $109/year. The full national slate spans all three partners.
Do I need NBA League Pass?
Only if you follow a team in a different market from where you live. League Pass ($16.99/month or $109/year) carries out-of-market games, but nationally televised games and your local team's games may be blacked out and must be watched on the national services or your regional sports network. It is the out-of-market complement, not a full replacement for NBC/Peacock, ESPN/ABC and Prime Video.
Where can I watch the NBA Finals in the US?
The NBA Finals air on ABC, which is a free broadcast network — so the Finals can be watched free over the air with an antenna, or streamed via the ESPN app. ABC remains the network home of the NBA Finals under the new media deal.