NBA 2026–27 Season: Where to Stream Every Game and When to Subscribe
The NBA's national TV deal is in its second season. ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video split the national games, League Pass covers much of the rest, and local broadcasts changed for 13 teams. Here's where every game streams, what it costs, and which months each service earns its keep.
If you last paid attention to NBA rights before 2025, the map has moved. TNT is gone from the national package. Peacock and Prime Video now carry a big share of the national schedule, and ESPN's games need its Unlimited plan. Locally, the collapse of FanDuel Sports Network sent 13 teams looking for new homes, and several landed on free over-the-air stations.
The season runs from late October to June, but no single service is busy for all of it. That's what makes the NBA worth planning month by month.
Who Carries the NBA in 2026–27?
| Carrier | What It Has in 2026–27 | Stream It On | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBC / Peacock | 100 regular-season games: Tuesdays, Mondays on Peacock, and Sundays from January 24; the opening-night tripleheader; All-Star Weekend; first- and second-round playoff games | Peacock Premium | $12.99/mo |
| ESPN / ABC | 80 regular-season games: Wednesdays, adding Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays midseason; Christmas Day's five games; the Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader; early playoff rounds; the 2027 Western Conference Finals; the NBA Finals on ABC | ESPN Unlimited | $31.99/mo |
| Prime Video | 67 regular-season and NBA Cup games: Fridays, adding Thursdays and Saturdays from January; the NBA Cup knockout rounds and final; all six Play-In games; early playoff rounds; the 2027 Eastern Conference Finals | Amazon Prime | $14.99/mo |
| NBA League Pass | Out-of-market games that aren't on national TV, through the end of the regular season | NBA app or Amazon | $16.99/mo |
| Local TV | Your team's games that aren't on national TV, in your market | Varies by team | Varies |
Verified September 2026 against league and provider pages (sources below). US standard monthly prices. Peacock Premium is $129.99 a year; Peacock Select doesn't include live sports. ESPN raised Unlimited from $29.99 to $31.99 a month ($319.99 a year) for new sign-ups from August 20, 2026, with existing subscribers moving at their first bill after September 17. Prime is $14.99 a month or $139 a year; Amazon lists its NBA games as included with Prime, so if you use Amazon's cheaper standalone Prime Video membership, confirm it carries the game first. League Pass Premium (no commercials, three devices) is $24.99 a month and Team Pass is $13.99; both are month to month with no commitment. Game counts are the league's and Amazon's.
What About Your Local Team?
National games are the same for everyone. Your team's other games are where it gets complicated, and this season it's more complicated than usual.
Main Street Sports Group, owner of the FanDuel Sports Network regional channels, wound down in spring 2026. That left 13 teams without a local TV partner: the Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, and Spurs. The league reportedly urged teams to sign one-year deals ahead of a centralized local package it's planning for 2027–28, so expect this to change again next season.
Some of those teams went free. The Heat moved to WPLG Local 10, free over the air and on a free streaming app. The Pistons moved to WMYD in Detroit. For every other team, check the team's own website for this season's local home.
Two things don't change. League Pass blacks out your local team's games in your market, so it's for out-of-market fans. And an antenna picks up the national games on NBC and ABC, plus your team's games if it's on a local broadcast station.
Key Dates for the 2026–27 Season
- Opening night: Tuesday, October 20, 2026, with a tripleheader on NBC and Peacock. ESPN opens October 21–22 and Prime Video on October 23.
- NBA Cup: group play October 30 to November 27, knockout rounds December 4–11, and the championship on Friday, December 11, in Indianapolis, on Prime Video.
- Christmas Day: five games on ABC and ESPN.
- All-Star Weekend: February 19–21, 2027, in Phoenix, on NBC and Peacock.
- Regular season ends: Sunday, April 11, 2027.
- Play-In Tournament: right after the regular season, only on Prime Video.
- Playoffs and Finals: the playoffs run from April into May, and the Finals are on ABC in June 2027. The exact Finals dates weren't part of the schedule release. The 2026 Finals began June 3, so early June is a fair guess, but confirm on NBA.com before you plan around it.
Which Months Matter for Which Service
Every national partner has games most months, but the big moments cluster. Here's where they fall.
| Month | Headline National Games | Services That Matter |
|---|---|---|
| October | Opening night (Oct 20), opening week on all three partners, NBA Cup group play from Oct 30 | Peacock, Prime Video, ESPN |
| November | NBA Cup group play, Thanksgiving Eve tripleheader on ESPN and ABC | Peacock, Prime Video, ESPN |
| December | NBA Cup knockouts and final (Dec 4–11), five Christmas Day games on ABC and ESPN | Prime Video, ESPN, Peacock |
| January | Prime adds Thursdays and Saturdays, games in Paris (Jan 14) and Manchester (Jan 17), NBC Sundays start Jan 24, MLK Day quadrupleheader on NBC and Peacock | All three |
| February | Presidents' Day quadrupleheader and All-Star Weekend on NBC and Peacock | Peacock, Prime Video, ESPN |
| March | Stretch run on all three partners | All three |
| April | Season ends Apr 11, Play-In on Prime Video, playoffs begin | All three |
| May | Second round, Eastern Conference Finals on Prime Video, Western Conference Finals on ESPN and ABC | Depends on your conference |
| June | NBA Finals on ABC | An antenna, or a service that streams your local ABC station |
League Pass is simpler: it covers the regular season, so a monthly plan only needs to run from October through the April 11 finale.
Here's what keeping Peacock and ESPN Unlimited on only for the season is worth at monthly rates. The difference only exists if you'd otherwise keep them all year, and only once you actually pause:
| Service | 12 Months | Oct–May Only | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peacock Premium | $155.88 | $103.92 | $51.96 |
| ESPN Unlimited | $383.88 | $255.92 | $127.96 |
ESPN Unlimited is the priciest piece. If what you want from it is ABC's weekend games, Christmas, and the Finals, an antenna covers those. For one ESPN-only game, a $4.99 Sling Orange 1-Day Pass includes ESPN. Prime is usually an anchor you keep all year for other reasons, so it rarely rotates. If you follow more than one league, rotating sports services season by season puts every league on one calendar.
How Intermission Handles an NBA Season
Intermission builds a 12-month rotation plan from your watchlist and budget. For basketball, two Intermission+ features do the sports work:
- SeasonTicket lets you follow the NBA and choose its months, say October through May. Your plan keeps the league's mapped carrier on for that window, then marks it to pause when the window ends. It's league-wide coverage, not a follow for one team, and you still make the pause yourself from a one-tap link.
- GameRoute shows, for each listed game, the ways your setup can watch it: a service you already have, an eligible free antenna broadcast (once you turn on I Have an OTA Antenna), a day pass such as Sling Orange's 1-Day Pass for an ESPN game, a tier upgrade, or a service to add for that month. It doesn't guess. Unknown channels, regional restrictions, and games without a verified antenna route stay unconfirmed, which matters this season while local rights are in flux.
Following your team adds its games to Your Games but doesn't add a paid service or change your budget. If you choose Add for one game, that service can enter your plan for that game's month and pause again after it. Day passes stay outside your rotation and savings. Intermission never asks for your streaming passwords and never touches your accounts.
Pay for the Season, Not the Whole Year
Tell Intermission what you watch and what you want to spend, and get a plan for which services to keep on and when to pause them. Joining is free.
Start RotatingFor one-off events outside a season, see watching live events without year-round subscriptions. To see what your current services add up to, try the savings calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Services Carry National NBA Games in 2026–27?
Three partners split the national schedule: NBC and Peacock (100 regular-season games), ESPN and ABC (80), and Prime Video (67 regular-season and NBA Cup games, by Amazon's count). Peacock's games need Peacock Premium, ESPN's need ESPN Unlimited, and Prime Video's come with a Prime membership. Games on NBC and ABC are also free with an antenna.
Can I Watch My Local Team on NBA League Pass?
No. League Pass blacks out your local team's games in your market, and it doesn't carry national games live. Local games air on your team's local TV partner, which changed for 13 teams after FanDuel Sports Network shut down in 2026. Check your team's website for this season's local home.
Can I Watch the NBA Finals for Free?
Yes, with an antenna. The 2027 NBA Finals air on ABC in June. The exact dates weren't part of the schedule release; the 2026 Finals began June 3, so expect early June and confirm on NBA.com closer to the time.
When Should I Pause My NBA Streaming Services?
When the games you care about end. League Pass covers the regular season, which ends April 11, 2027. Peacock and Prime Video carry playoff games into May, and the Finals are on ABC in June. If your team is eliminated earlier, you can pause then.
More Sports Streaming Guides
Sources, accessed September 2026: NBA.com: How to watch games in 2026–27; NBA.com: 2026–27 schedule release; NBA.com: League Pass pricing; Amazon: The 2026–27 NBA season on Prime Video; Amazon: Live sports on Prime Video; Peacock: plans with live sports; ESPN Fan Support: Select and Unlimited prices; Awful Announcing: 13 NBA teams become local TV free agents; Yahoo Sports: The Heat's new TV home; Yahoo Sports: Pistons' over-the-air deal; NBA.com: Ways to watch the 2026 Finals; Sling: 1-Day Pass. Team Pass and Sling prices from our 2026 streaming cost guide. Prices and rights change often; verify on each provider's official site.