What’s the Cheapest Way to Watch the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs?
The NBA postseason is nearly here, and fans who need to save a little money while watching should take a long look at Sling TV.
The 2023-24 NBA season is over! Now, fans will get to see qualifying teams compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy in the NBA playoffs, which will appear on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV and TNT. The league’s play-in tournament to determine who will lock up the NBA’s final playoff spots will start on April 16, ahead of the official beginning of the postseason on April 20.
Viewers who are concerned about watching the NBA playoffs for an affordable price are likely eyeing options like YouTube TV or cable plans warily, as these packages can cost $70, $80 or $90 per month, at minimum. But there’s another route for budget-minded NBA fans to take: Sling TV, which allows customers to watch the entirety of the NBA playoffs for less than $55 per month.
How Can You Stream the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs?
The 2023-24 NBA playoffs won’t require a cable subscription this year, and will stream on DIRECTV STREAM and YouTube TV in addition to Sling TV. But both of these platforms will cost you $72.99 per month or more, which means you won’t have as much room in the budget for snacks or your favorite beverage by picking these services.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| NBA TV | + $15 | + $8 | - | - | + $11 | + $11 | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
How Can You Watch the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs with Sling TV?
Sling TV carries TNT in all of its base packages, so that’s an easy need to cross off an NBA fan’s list. The streamer’s Orange plan offers ESPN in all markets, but only a tiny handful of Sling customers get ABC as part of their Sling Blue subscription. However, ESPN3 shows live simulcasts of all sporting events airing on ABC, and this channel is available in Sling’s Orange plan.
NBA TV is the only channel carrying the league’s postseason games that doesn’t appear in Sling base plans. However, this network is available in the Sling Sports Extra add-on, along with 12 other channels that collectively cost subscribers $11 per month on top of their base plans. Other channels available in the Sports Extra pack include Tennis Channel, NHL Network and MLB Network.
How Much Does Sling TV Cost?
If expensive live TV streaming services or cable and satellite plans have you worried you’ll miss out on this year’s NBA playoffs, Sling TV is the perfect platform for you. Forget paying $73 per month or more to watch every game; Sling’s Orange plan can be had for just $40 per month.
Better yet for new Sling customers, the service is offering a deal for new subscribers that makes it even harder to pass up. New subscribers can get their first month of Sling TV for 50% off, dropping the price of a Sling Orange account to just $20 for 30 days. Even with the $11-per-month Sports Extra add-on, your first month of Sling will cost less than half the amount of a service like YouTube TV if you’re a new customer.
Forget paying Sling for a moment, however, and think about how nice it would be to have Sling pay you! Sling's rewards program gives viewers who watch the streamer for 30 minutes per day multiple days in a row the chance to win cash prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000. If you’re going to be watching the NBA playoffs every day, there are no other streamers that will give you a chance to win rewards for doing so!
Sling TV is by far the cheapest option for watching the 2023-24 NBA playoffs. New customers can sign up for every channel they’ll need to stream the NBA postseason with Sling for just $31 for their first month, but even viewers who have tried Sling before will be able to save at least $20+ per month and watch every game of this year’s pro basketball playoffs.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a live TV streaming service that helps users save money with the option of two distinct plans. The $40/month “Sling Orange” plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $40/month “Sling Blue” plan offers about 40 channels, including Fox and NBC local channels.