A new look for NBA coverage
The 2025-2026 NBA season ends with more than just basketball excitement. The league’s massive 11-year, $76 billion TV deal takes effect, reshaping where and how fans will watch games. NBC returns to NBA coverage for the first time in more than two decades, bringing back its iconic story “Roundball rock” theme and the introduction of Michael Jordan as a ‘special contributor’.
Amazon Prime joins the lineup, while ESPN retains its long-standing coverage, now including the legendary Within the NBA crew. NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood highlighted the collaboration between the partners:
“We are eager to promote the entire NBA schedule and make people aware of where they can find the great NBA product from the other two partners, Amazon and ESPN,” said Flood.
Michael Jordan will join the NBC crew as a “special contributor”
Where and when to watch
The national playing schedule has a new rhythm. According to the competition, the general pattern will be as follows:
Monday: Peacock
Tuesday: NBC and Peacock
Wednesday: ESPN
Friday: Prime Video
Thursday (mid-season and beyond): More Prime Video games
Saturday: ABC, ESPN and Prime Video
Sunday: ABC, ESPN and NBC/Peacock
Opening night – Houston at Oklahoma City, followed by Golden State at the Los Angeles Lakers – will air on NBC and Peacock and will mark the first NBA regular-season broadcast since 2002.
Innovation meets accessibility
The competition introduces several innovations, including alternative camera setups where analysts are stationed near team benches. The NBA app now displays scores in real time with virtually no delay, including a live clock graph.
To simplify the viewing experience, the NBA has launched “Tap to Watch,” a digital feature that directs fans to live games across networks and platforms, from local broadcasts to national games on ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the challenge of navigating modern viewing options:
“We’ve all had that experience where you go to Google to find the game you want to watch because the world has changed,” Silver said.
The future of NBA broadcasting
ESPN and ABC retain the NBA Finals, while NBC and Prime Video share a nearly equal number of regular-season games. Prime Video also exclusively streams every NBA Cup Knockout Round and Play-In Tournament game.
With Jordan’s return, NBC’s revival and a digital-first approach, the NBA’s new era of broadcasting promises both nostalgia and innovation.
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