Roku Launches First-Ever NBA Free Streaming Channel; New Basketball Content Hub Includes Highlights, NBA League Pass, More
Fans will be able to watch classic games, see highlights, originals, documentaries and more on the first-ever NBA FAST channel.
The Roku Channel is ready to storm the hardwood! Roku announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with the NBA on a new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, as well as an NBA Zone content hub that will allow fans to access various types of basketball content. This marks the first time that an NBA-branded FAST channel has ever been available, and The Roku Channel will hold exclusive rights to stream it for a limited time before it spreads to other platforms like Pluto TV and Tubi.
- The NBA FAST channel will feature game replays, original series, highlights, and more.
- The NBA Zone will curate this content and present it in an easy-to-navigate way for fans.
- Roku will also distribute more than 40 live NBA G League games on a national exclusive basis in 2024-25.
The NBA FAST channel is rolling out to Roku Channel viewers this week and fans can find this new channel through a number of different paths. Roku’s Live TV Zone, Sports Zone, and new NBA Zone will all serve as portals to the channel, and viewers will also find it in the Live TV Channel Guide or via The Roku Channel App.
The channel will carry a wide range of content, including classic game replays, documentaries, original series, highlights from around the league, and more. Additionally, the new NBA Zone will give audiences easy access to this channel, and provide a way to find other NBA-related content such as the NBA League Pass out-of-market games streaming platform. The NBA Zone is found in the Sports menu of the Roku Home Screen.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Roku with the NBA’s first FAST Channel and other NBA content and functionality that will serve as an enticement and on-ramp to live NBA games,” NBA SVP Greg Beaton said. “This partnership supports our goal of reaching NBA fans with our content in innovative ways.”
The partnership between the league and Roku also extends to live broadcasts of games from the developmental NBA G League. More than 40 NBA G League games will air on Roku on a national exclusive basis during the 2024-25 season. Tubi has also partnered with the G League, making a deal to air more than 75 games live games in the 2023-24 season.
“Roku offers the kind of sports streaming experience that no other platform has—everything in the NBA Zone is tailored to the fan, whether they’re a die-hard fanatic or just getting into the local team,” Roku’s head of sports Joe Franzetta said. “This strategic league partnership brings us a giant step further in our mission to make sports programming both easy to find and engaging to watch. We’re giving our users floor seats to an always-on experience, and we’re proud to be doing it in close collaboration with the NBA.”
What Other Sports Content is Available on Roku?
Roku offers a variety of different content hubs to allow viewers to subscribe to apps from their favorite sports leagues, as well as housing free streaming content. Its NFL Zone launched in September 2023, where fans could see the NFL FAST channel as well as download the NFL app, watch highlights, see game previews, and more. In May 2023, the platform also created a Women's Sports Zone to make it easier to track live events and surrounding coverage.
In 2023, Roku signed its first-ever live sports deal when it agreed to buy the rights for a package of races from the ABBA FIA Formula E World Championship. The agreement first went into effect in January and includes rights to 11 races this season; in addition to race previews and highlights, as well as documentaries on the series and its drivers.
The Roku Channel carries a wide range of sports-themed FAST channels in its lineup as well, making the streamer a great place to go and catch up on news from all the leagues that matter most to you. The NBA FAST channel and NBA Zone are rolling out starting on Wednesday, and if fans don’t see them in their Roku menus now they soon will.
Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is a free live TV streaming service that provides 350+ live linear streaming channels and more than 80,000 free movies and TV shows. The library contains entertainment from several different decades, including some major hits.