The NBA and WNBA have finalized broadcasting agreements that will dictate where games are aired and streamed for the next eleven years.
These deals will cover the NBA from the 2025-2026 season through the 2035-2036 season, while the WNBA agreement spans from 2026 to 2036.
ESPN, a long-time partner of the NBA, will continue as the primary media rights holder for both leagues. The network will exclusively air the NBA Finals for the entire duration of the new agreement and will also host the WNBA Finals for five of those years. Additionally, ESPN’s coverage will be available on its direct-to-consumer platform, with select NBA and WNBA games streaming on Disney+ in certain international markets.
In a notable shift towards streaming, NBC and its streaming service Peacock will broadcast 100 national NBA games each regular season, with around 50 of those being exclusive to Peacock, including national Monday night games and doubleheaders. Amazon Prime Video will also join the mix, airing 66 regular-season NBA games and 30 WNBA games annually.
Notably absent from these new deals is TNT Sports, which will not extend its current agreement with the NBA beyond next year. Instead, many of those games will transition to Amazon. TNT Sports has claimed it matched Amazon’s offer and is contesting the NBA’s decision to switch partners. However, the NBA asserts that Warner Bros. Discovery’s proposal did not meet Amazon’s terms.
While these agreements signal a significant move towards streaming, they also present challenges for fans who will need to navigate multiple platforms to watch games. This mirrors the situation in Major League Baseball, where games are distributed across various networks like ESPN, Fox, Apple TV+, and others on any given night.
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