NBA ranks 2nd among the most popular sports events in the US just following the NFL. An average of 7.5 million viewers witnessed the NBA finals in 2020 within the US and in 2021 there was a 51% increase in the number as ABC drew an audience of 12.52 million. The numbers read 15.14 million, 17.7 million, 20.4 million, and 20.2 million for 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016 finals respectively. Here we will answer your questions: Where can I watch NBA on TV and Live Streaming? Where and how to watch and stream NBA matches live on US TV? What channel is showing Champions League and UCL Live Streaming?
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Where can I Watch NBA on TV and Live Streaming?
Know where to watch NBA games live on the US national TV and regional TV. Also learn ways to stream the NBA matches via NBA League Pass. We’ll also answer how the NBA League Pass blackout rule applies and how much the NBA League Pass costs.
Where to Watch NBA Live on TV?
NBA’s media rights contract in October 2014 saw ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports grab the deal once again through an extension. The mega deal ensured the authority received a whopping 24 billion US dollars in 9 years period with a US$2.7 billion per year basis. The ongoing deal which is on par with the media right deal of English Football will run through 2016-17 to the 2024-25 NBA season.
NBA regular season and playoff games are shown on national TV on ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. Let’s take a look at the distribution of games for each channel.
ABC:
ABC holds the rights for 19 regular season games. ABC’s regular season broadcasting includes the double and triple header on Christmas Day, Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon late-season fixtures. Few of the first and 2nd round clashes mostly on the weekend afternoons are also televised on the alluded channel. Above all, NBA has the exclusive broadcasting rights for the NBA Finals through to 2025.
ESPN:
ESPN which is perhaps the most popular TV channel in the US and also the highest-earning sports TV channel has rights for as many as 82 regular season clashes. The doubleheaders on Wednesday and Friday nights along with occasional Sunday night and Monday night fixtures are shown on this network. ESPN also shows up to 30 playoff fixtures which include a big number of first and 2nd round games. Moreover, the mentioned channel also shows two conference semifinals and one conference final per campaign till 2025.
TNT:
Thursday night doubleheaders are mostly available on national television on TNT. Apart from 67 regular season matches, it televises All-Star weekend and around 45 playoff fixtures. TNT shows a healthy number of first-two-round encounters, two conference semifinals, as well as one of the conference finals just like ESPN.
NBA TV:
The NBA specialty network shows no less than 106 matches throughout the regular season. It shows regular season encounters during Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights while also bringing in 9 post-season games live to the viewers.
What NBA games are on national TV tonight?
Find the national broadcasters’ chart for tonight’s NBA matches.
| TV Channel | No. of Broadcasting Games | Game Day and Special Games Right Description |
| ABC | 19 Regular Season Fixtures, a Few Play-Off Games, 7 Match Series of NBA Finals | Late Season Saturday Night or Sunday Afternoon Clashes, Christmas Day Double or Triple Header, A Few First or 2nd Round Play Off Matches, NBA Finals |
| ESPN | 82 Regular Season Fixtures, Up to 30 Play Off Games | Occasional Sunday and Monday Night Clashes, Wednesday and Friday Nights Doubleheaders, Many 1st and 2nd Round Play Off Games, Two Conference Semifinals, One Conference Final |
| TNT | 67 Regular Season Fixtures, Up to 45 Play Off Games | Thursday Night Doubleheaders, All-Star Weekend, Many 1st and 2nd Round Play Off Fixtures, Two Conference Semifinals, One Conference Final |
| NBA TV | 106 Regular Season Games, 9 Post Season Matches | Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Night Fixtures |
How can I Watch Regional NBA games?
It’s one of the very crucial parts of this content and is a very important answer to find out. Many of the regular season games are not available on national television. Viewers need to be a bit flexible to catch those games live. If any of the participating sides of a particular game belongs to your area, then you require to switch to the regional broadcasting channels. On the other hand, if you’re not within the playing sides’ designated home territories then, you must subscribe to the NBA League Pass to stream the games live. Before discussing the NBA League Pass and black-out rules, let’s take a look at the regional broadcasting networks for each side.
NBA Regional Broadcasting Channels List:
| Team Name | Conference/Division | Regional Broadcaster(s) |
| Boston Celtics | Eastern (Atlantic) | NBC Sports Boston |
| Brooklyn Nets | Eastern (Atlantic) | YES Network |
| New York Knicks | Eastern (Atlantic) | MSG Network |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Eastern (Atlantic) | NBC Sports Philadelphia |
| Toronto Raptors | Eastern (Atlantic) | TSN, TSN2, Sportsnet One |
| Chicago Bulls | Eastern (Central) | NBC Sports Chicago |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Eastern (Central) | Bally Sports Ohio |
| Detroit Pistons | Eastern (Central) | Bally Sports Detroit |
| Indiana Pacers | Eastern (Central) | Bally Sports Indiana |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Eastern (Central) | Bally Sports Wisconsin |
| Atlanta Hawks | Eastern (Southeast) | Bally Sports Southeast |
| Charlotte Hornets | Eastern (Southeast) | Bally Sports Southeast |
| Miami Heat | Eastern (Southeast) | Bally Sports Sun |
| Orlando Magic | Eastern (Southeast) | Bally Sports Florida |
| Washington Wizards | Eastern (Southeast) | NBC Sports Washington |
| Denver Nuggets | Western (Northwest) | Altitude Sports |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Western (Northwest) | Bally Sports North, WUCW (selected games) |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Western (Northwest) | Bally Sports Oklahoma |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Western (Northwest) | Root Sports Northwest |
| Utah Jazz | Western (Northwest) | AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain |
| Golden State Warriors | Western (Pacific) | NBC Sports Bay Area |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Western (Pacific) | Bally Sports SoCal (most), Bally Sports West (some), KCOP (few) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Western (Pacific) | Spectrum SportsNet |
| Phoenix Suns | Western (Pacific) | Bally Sports Arizona |
| Sacramento Kings | Western (Pacific) | NBC Sports California |
| Dallas Mavericks | Western (Southwest) | Bally Sports Southwest (most), KTXA (selected) |
| Houston Rockets | Western (Southwest) | AT&T SportsNet Southwest |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Western (Southwest) | Bally Sports Southeast |
| New Orleans Pelicans | Western (Southwest) | Bally Sports New Orleans |
| San Antonio Spurs | Western (Southwest) | Bally Sports Southwest (most), KENS (10 games), KMYS (12 games) |
How do I Watch or Streaming NBA Games Live on NBA League Pass?
NBA League Pass brings almost every regular season game live except the ones available exclusively on national television. So it will cover almost the entire regular season for the viewers. One needs to subscribe to the NBA League Pass to catch the games live. Different packages are available but the most crucial fact of the NBA League Pass is that blackout rules apply.
How do NBA blackouts work?
NBA blackout restrictions exist in 28 cities that host the games or feature the participating sides. This rule means you can’t watch specific games live from a specific territory. In fact, this rule prevents the viewers from watching a team’s locally televised games on NBA League Pass, Hulu+ Live TV, or fuboTV if he stays in the team’s designated home territory during the game time. The alluded rule is specific to a viewer’s current location. So if your location changes, your blackout restrictions for live locally televised games will also change as well. Blacked-out games will be available for viewing after the game ends. More clearly, the blacked-out games are available for viewing on-demand as soon as they are moved to the NBA League Pass Archives. The rule is actually to force the viewers to purchase expensive cable TV subscriptions.
However, if you live outside any of the 2 participating sides’ designated home territory, then you can catch all the available games live from anywhere in the US or the world with an NBA League Pass subscription. For example, if Charlotte Hornets do take on the Washington Wizards and if the game is available on NBA League Pass for streaming, then viewers within North Carolina and Washington can’t watch the games on NBA League Pass, Hulu+, or fuboTV. Instead, they will have to put their eyes on Bally Sports Southeast and NBC Sports Washington respectively. By the way, viewers from anywhere outside North Carolina and Washington can stream the alluded game live on NBA League Pass.
How much does an NBA League Pass cost?
Authority has lowered the NBA League Pass pricing for the 2022-23 campaign. The Standard package used to charge 230 US Dollars for a season and will now cost 100 USD for the 2022-23 campaign. A reliable source revealed an almost 56-57% lowering of price. Moreover, the Standard package will automatically include the NBA TV and the network’s coverage as well. Even a monthly payment system will be available. The monthly pricing stands at US$15. The premium package that helps viewers enjoy multiple streams and doesn’t include commercials will be available at just US$130 instead of the previous mammoth 280 US Dollars. So the new cost will be less than 50%. One Team package is also set to decrease and might be available at somewhere near 50-70 US Dollars.
Where can I find NBA Live Streaming?
If you aren’t intending to watch the NBA games on TV or also have no intention to subscribe to NBA League Pass, then you still can find most of the actions live via the cord-cutting sources. The list includes various well-reputed services YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu+ Live TV, DTV Stream, and fuboTV. However, the above-mentioned black-out rules apply to these cord-cutting services as well.
YouTube TV is perhaps the best option at the moment as it includes all those broadcasting channels in its standard package. With a 64.99 USD per month subscription it gives access to ESPN, ABC, TNT, as well as NBA TV. DTV Stream contains ESPN, ABC, and TNT in its 69.99 priced Entertainment package but it gives access to NBA TV through the Choice package that charges 89.99 USD per month. Hulu+ Live TV comes at US$69.99/month but doesn’t contain NBA TV while giving access to ESPN, ABC, and TNT.
On the contrary, fuboTV also charges US$69.99 but contains ESPN and ABC in its standard package. It doesn’t give access to TNT and to watch NBA TV, users need to pay 11 Dollars more to add on Sports Plus to watch NBA TV. Sling TV offers ESPN and TNT for 35 USD while an $11 add-on will ensure the NBA TV’s broadcasts.
Cable TV subscribers can enjoy NBA games on TV and also catch live streaming if they prefer flexibility. They can enjoy the on-TV coverage online via Watch ESPN, Watch ABC, and Watch TNT.
NBA Online Streaming Options:
A truly helpful chart for NBA lovers to know listings to watch NBA on TV and live streaming. PSG Players Salary 2022-23 (Weekly, Annual Wage, Contract).
| Online Streaming Platforms | Available Matches and Services | Price/Cost |
| NBA League Pass (Standard) | All regular season NBA games excluding exclusive nationally televised games and regionally blackout games | 100 USD/month (previously $230) |
| NBA League Pass (Premium) | All regular season NBA games excluding exclusive nationally televised games and regionally blackout games (without commercials) and multiple streaming | 130 USD/month (previously $280) |
| NBA League Pass “One Team” Package | 1 specific team’s all regular season games excluding exclusive nationally televised games and regionally blackout games | 60-70 USD/month (TBC) |
| YouTube TV | ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasted games | 64.99 USD/month |
| DTV Stream | ESPN, ABC, TNT (Entertainment), ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV (Choice) | 69.99 USD/month; 89.99 USD/month |
| Hulu+ Live TV | ESPN, ABC, and TNT broadcasted games | 69.99 USD/month |
| fuboTV | ESPN, ABC (Standard); NBA TV (Sports Plus add-on) | 69.99 USD/month + $11/m |
| Sling TV | ABC, TNT (Blue or Orange); NBA TV (Sports Extra add-on) | 35 USD/month + $11/m |
Hope this content clarifies everything to catch the NBA actions on TV or via live streaming.
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