NBA Streaming Access Varies Sharply by Region as Teams Shift from Cable to Digital Platforms

All NBA games are now available on streaming platforms, but regional TV territory zones still determine how fans can consistently watch their teams. There are wide disparities in how many nationally televised games different teams play. And now, there’s also a spread in how teams are distributing their games locally. Put it together, and some New Orleans Pelicans fans only need to shell out a low amount to watch their team all season long while certain New York Knicks fans will need more than $200 worth of services for access to the team’s entire title defense, playoffs not included.

After the dissolution of the FanDuel Sports Networks, fewer than half of NBA teams will have their games primarily available on paid cable channels this season. Every team’s games will stream locally, with many franchises also airing contests on freely available over-the-air broadcast stations. Up to 34 games per team will be on ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video or NBC/Peacock nationally, with many of those games also available on a team’s regional platform. According to reporting by Sportico, this shift has created both broader availability and new layers of complexity.

Regional Exclusivity and Territory Rules

The territorial lines that determine how fans can access a given game have remained largely unchanged. Whether teams are distributing their games via cable, airwaves or the internet, they only have rights to broadcast within a given area. That ground typically spans a team’s home state and often includes neighboring states, though it generally does not include the area within 75 miles of another team. Within that given territory, a team’s games are unavailable on the NBA’s out-of-market, $110/season League Pass product.

Spurs games on DAZN, for example, are available across Texas, except around Dallas and Houston. In many places, a single team is blacked out on League Pass, but in states without teams the picture grows more layered. There are two regions where four teams compete, in parts of Oregon and California, according to analysis from EntitledSports. The same structure of regional exclusivity exists across MLB and the NHL.

Costs, Platforms and the Path Ahead

The migration of sports to streaming services has made it more complicated to bounce between local and national fare. Eight teams’ games are available through Prime Video Channels subscriptions, while the Atlanta Hawks can be watched by any Prime Video subscriber in a footprint spanning five states. The Hawks are one of 11 teams sharing all their regionally covered games for free over-the-air. DAZN has signed up five teams on exclusive deals.

Thanks to the Pelicans’ OTA strategy, plus the fact New Orleans only has two games exclusively on national services, they are among the cheapest to watch for in-market fans. Pelicans games also stream in-market through the NBA app for $105/season. The Knicks are available locally through a $30/month subscription sold through DAZN’s apps and Prime Video. Fans only looking to watch nationally televised games without cable will need about $280 worth of ESPN, Prime Video and Peacock subscriptions.

All of this is subject to change. As early as next year, the NBA could bundle a set of local team rights for a super-streamer like YouTube or Amazon. MLS completely removed its regional restrictions, making all games available everywhere. However, doing so risks sacrificing some portion of local media rights revenue—last year, local media revenue contributed 10% of teams’ overall take.

Reporting: Sportico

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