What’s the best NBA streamer in 2026?
What’s the best NBA streamer in 2026?
Learn more about which streaming services are best for watching the NBA on a night-in, night-out basis this season.
The NBA regular season gets rolling on Tuesday, Oct. 20. There are more than 1,200 games each NBA regular season, and that doesn’t even factor in the Emirates NBA Cup or the play-in tournament that precedes the playoffs. With all that game inventory, viewers have to decide which streaming service is the best way to watch on a nightly basis, and The Streamable is here to help.
Let us guide you through the best services to watch NBA games throughout the 2026-27 season. We’ll assemble the cheapest bundle available for watching NBA games this season, and explain how many games you can watch below.
Which streamers are best for watching the NBA in 2026?
Which live TV streamer is best for watching the NBA in 2026?
Fubo is the best overall live TV streaming service for watching the NBA in 2026. Specifically, we recommend the Fubo Sports service with the My Local Sports add-on package. This plan has a base price of $65 per month for 30+ channels, and in many markets, it includes ABC and NBC as well as ESPN, the three national TV channels needed to watch live NBA games in 2026.
A Fubo Sports subscription also comes with NBC Sports Network, which will simulcast any NBA games that are Peacock exclusives this season. This negates the need to sign up to Peacock alongside your live TV streamer to watch all nationally broadcast games.
The My Local Sports add-on starts at around $10 per month, but can range higher depending on how many regional sports networks (RSNs) are available in your area. Fubo distributes a large number of RSNs, and if your area’s team still plays on one, this add-on will let you watch their non-national games, which will account for the vast majority of their season overall.
Fubo is the only streaming service that will allow you to watch NBA games on ABC, ESPN, NBC, and your area’s RSN at a price lower than $100 per month. While you’ll still need to add at least one more subscription to Fubo to watch the entire season, it’s the best platform for watching as many games in one place as possible.
Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service offering a robust lineup of approximately 150 premier channels, with plans starting at $63.99 per month. This entry-level package provides access to local broadcast affiliates 18 of the leading 35 cable channels channels, and valuable regional sports networks (RSNs).
Runners up
DIRECTV is our second-place option for watching NBA games on ABC, ESPN, and NBC this season. It’s got the channels in every Signature package, as well as the MySports Genre Pack. It also has a large selection of regional sports networks that can be watched with a CHOICE subscription or with the MyHome Team mini add-on for MySports customers. However, DIRECTV does not have NBC Sports Network, which means viewers will have to add a Peacock subscription to watch games that are exclusive to that platform.
YouTube TV does have NBC Sports Network, but it only carries NBC Sports RSNs in their respective markets; no other RSNs are available on the service. That makes it a good choice to watch any nationally televised games, but not so good when it comes to streaming local games.
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DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
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YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The base plan includes more than 100 live channels, including major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as popular cable channels such as ESPN, CNN, FX, USA Network, and TNT. Local channels are included in most markets, making YouTube TV a full replacement for traditional cable for many viewers.
Which on-demand streamers do you need to watch the NBA in 2026?
Prime Video
If you want to watch all of the NBA season this year, Prime Video is non-optional. The streamer will have a big selection of regular-season games, including Emirates NBA Cup playoff games and many more. A subscription to Prime Video starts at $9 per month, but customers with an Amazon Prime subscription get access to Prime Video as part of their membership. Sports are available on all Prime Video tiers, but customers who upgrade to Prime Video Ultra for $14 per month can watch on-demand titles with no ads during playback.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
Peacock
Peacock is another must-have streamer for NBA fans this season, especially if you don’t have a live TV streamer that offers NBC Sports Network. Peacock will offer a selection of exclusive NBA games on Monday nights through the regular season, and will also simulcast games appearing on NBC. Viewers can watch live sports on Peacock starting with the streamer’s Premium plan, which costs $13 per month or $130 per year. Customers can go ad-free on most on-demand titles with Peacock Premium Plus, which costs $20 per month. Viewers who live in a market where an NBC Sports RSN carries their local basketball team (such as Boston or Philadelphia) can pay an additional fee to add that RSN to Peacock Premium Plus.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.
How many NBA games can you watch on ESPN Unlimited in 2026?
An ESPN Unlimited subscription will allow viewers to stream any live NBA games appearing on ABC or ESPN throughout the 2026-27 regular season and playoffs. A subscription starts at $32 per month, and viewers can also bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+, Hulu, or Fox One for an additional monthly cost.
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.
Do you need a live TV streamer to watch the NBA this season?
That depends on how your team distributes its local games. Some teams are using local broadcast channels to distribute in-market games, and viewers who live in the markets of these teams can watch the games with nothing more than an over-the-air antenna — no live TV streamer required.
Many teams now distribute their local rights on DAZN, or have launched their own streaming services as a way to allow in-market fans to watch local games without a pay-TV subscription. If your team is on this list, you also won’t need a live TV streamer to watch — though you will have to assemble a bundle of ESPN Unlimited, Peacock, and Prime Video (starting at $54 per month for all three), plus the in-market streamer to watch your team’s games.
If your team plays on an NBC Sports RSN, you can pay a fee of between $15 and $25 per month more to watch their games on Peacock instead of watching through a live TV streamer. However, teams that are still using more traditional RSNs with no direct-to-consumer options will need a live TV streaming service like Fubo to watch.
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