00:00The NBA is officially back, and just like last season, figuring out how to actually watch the
00:05NBA in 2025 and 2026 can be a little complicated. Between games on ESPN and ABC, the return of the
00:13NBA to NBC, select games on NBA TV, and of course streaming options like League Pass, Peacock,
00:20Prime Video, YouTube TV, and Hulu, it's a lot to keep track of. So in this video, I'll break down
00:27exactly how to watch the NBA this season, which networks carry which games, what's new this
00:32year, and some of the matchups you won't want to miss. Quickly, we've got to talk about what to
00:39watch out for in the NBA this year. LeBron James, now in his 23rd season, is teaming up with Luka
00:45Doncic to try and reclaim Lakers' glory, while reigning champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, look
00:50poised for another title run. French superstar Victor Webinyama has already put together an insane
00:56highlight reel, making Spurs games impossible to ignore. Fans are also going to want to see how the
01:01Pacers and Celtics fare without their stars, while starting five on Netflix shines a spotlight on
01:07players' lives off the court, giving a new window into the personalities behind the stats and fueling
01:13hype around these high-stakes matchups. In short, the 2025-26 season is shaping up to be the NBA's
01:21biggest yet. I think it's easiest to break this video down into which networks have which games.
01:27When it comes to some of the biggest nights in the NBA season, NBC and Peacock will be your
01:33destination. Not only did the return of NBA to NBC kick off with the season opener, but they also get
01:39Mondays and Tuesdays, and then Sundays starting in February. You can find those Monday games on Peacock,
01:46then Tuesday nights will feature double-headers on NBC and Peacock. Once those Sundays start,
01:53NBC and Peacock get feature primetime hoops, including three double-headers almost all the
01:59way up to the playoffs. NBC and Peacock also scored rights to NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.
02:05That includes the Rising Stars game, the Kia Skills Challenge, three-point and slam-dunk contests,
02:12and of course, the actual 2025 All-Star Game on February 16th. Next, we've got ESPN. NBA on Wednesday
02:21nights on ESPN are back with double-headers throughout the regular season. Then mid-season,
02:27ESPN rights expand to include double-headers on Fridays. ESPN will get one night of the Emirates
02:33in-season tournament group play matchups on November 26th, plus share all of the Christmas Day games
02:40with ABC. Speaking of ABC, we get a lot of crossover with the Disney-owned networks.
02:46The biggest day for ABC is Saturday. NBA Saturday primetime, that'll start January 24th with a
02:53rivals-themed triple-header you won't want to miss. ABC is also the destination for the marquee
02:59Sunday afternoon matchups from February 8th through March 14th. Finally, ABC will once again be home for
03:06the NBA Finals. Let me know if we should upload a video closer to when playoffs start with all the
03:10info on how to watch those games.
03:14Prime Video is another big destination for watching the NBA this season. It gets 66 regular season games,
03:20including 10 during group play of the NBA Cup. The NBA Cup's quarterfinals, semifinals, and final games
03:27are also all exclusively on Prime Video. Those will be taking place in December, and there are big bragging
03:34rights involved, so expect some really good basketball on Cup nights. Fans can also use Prime
03:40to sign up for NBA League Pass. League Pass is how you're going to get non-nationally televised
03:46games, especially if you're watching out-of-market. League Pass starts at $14 a month if you only pick
03:52one team to follow, but it goes up to $25 a month for the full experience with League Pass Premium,
03:58including NBA TV, three concurrent streams, and those hilarious in-arena feeds in lieu of commercials.
04:07I know I just threw a lot at you, and believe me, I'm sure most of you haven't memorized, but
04:12in case you don't, we're going to recap. When it comes to streaming NBA this season,
04:16you're going to use NBC and Peacock on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, plus All-Star Weekend.
04:23ABC and ESPN are going to be Sunday, Wednesday, and some Fridays and Saturday nights. Again,
04:31ABC is also the home of the NBA Finals. Prime Video for Thursday and Saturday games,
04:38plus most of the NBA Emirates Cup, and NBA League Pass for most out-of-market games. I should also
04:45mention YouTube TV or Hulu Live TV for any of the network nationally televised games,
04:52and your in-market games. YouTube TV offers a great free trial, and Hulu Plus Live TV's intro
04:58offer is $65 for your first three months rather than $90. I'll have links to both down below.
05:05But what to do if you're traveling or living abroad? That's when you're going to want to get a VPN to
05:11access your local stream from anywhere. NordVPN is the best choice for streaming sports,
05:16as rated by our Tom's Guide team. We've even secured an exclusive NordVPN deal for our viewers
05:24that offers 75% off and three months free. But you do have to hurry. This offer won't last long.
05:31You have to use the link in the description below and comment everything I just said to you right now.
05:37No, the second part's a joke, but you'll find the link in the description down below.
05:40So by now, you should be set for this year's NBA season. And if you found this video helpful,
05:46be sure to give it a thumbs up and leave a comment letting me know if you'd want to see more
05:50streaming guides here on the channel. In case this is your first time here, we're typically testing
05:56out the latest gadgets. So if you're into that sort of thing, subscribe to Stay in the Loop.
06:00My name's Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide, and I'll see you in the next video. Take care.
06:10Bye-bye.
06:20Bye-bye.
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