Sling Is the Cheapest Way to Watch Nationally Broadcast NBA Games
Sling TV carries ABC, ESPN, NBA Network, and TNT for far less than any other live TV streamer.
It’s officially basketball season! The 2024-25 NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 22, as the Boston Celtics try to defend their title and the rest of the league sets its sights on the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The season will largely play out on regional sports networks that are only available in the home markets of teams, but the schedule-makers have put aside the best contests for national channels like ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT. There’s a great way to watch all of these games without breaking the bank this season: a subscription to Sling TV.
Why is Sling TV the Best Streaming Service for National NBA Games?
Does Sling TV Offer NBA Channels?
Sling TV is our top choice for watching nationally broadcast NBA games in large part because of the availability of channels on the service. It carries TNT in every plan, and ESPN comes in its Orange channel package.
That package also contains ESPN3, which is important because it carries simulcasts of all sporting events airing on ABC. The NBA occasionally plays some big games on ABC, particularly on Christmas. Sling’s Blue package only carries ABC in a handful of markets, but if you’re not in one of them, you can still watch the channel’s live NBA games on ESPN3.
NBA TV also occasionally hosts marquee NBA matchups, and while it’s not in either base Sling channel package, it is found in the streamer’s Sports Extra add-on pack. This add-on features around a dozen channels, including NBA TV, NHL Network, SEC Network, Tennis Channel, and more for $11 per month on top of your base plan, still cheaper than the competition.
Does Sling’s Price Make Sense for NBA Fans?
The availability of NBA channels with Sling TV, combined with its price make it an unbeatable destination for streaming national games from the Association this year. Sling TV’s base packages start at just $40 per month, and the service frequently offers great deals for new customers in their first month, such as a 50% discount.
The Sports Extra add-on costs an extra $11, but even when combined with Sling’s Orange plan the price rises to just $51 per month.
Compare that with other live TV streaming services that offer ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV. DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV all cost $73 per month or more, and most of them also require you to buy an extra add-on to get NBA TV. Sling offers savings of more than $20 per month over these services, and in many cases, the savings rise to more than $30 per month.
What Features Do You Get with Sling TV?
A standard Sling TV subscription includes 50 hours of Cloud DVR, so if you aren’t able to watch an NBA game on ESPN, TNT, or NBA TV live you can record it and watch it on your own schedule. You’ll have to dodge spoilers on social media, but this gives you better control over your basketball viewing.
Sling also added the ability to stream events in Ultra-High-Definition 4K on select devices over the summer, including some NBA contests. Any NBA games provided in 4K can be watched in UHD on Sling TV on supporting Amazon Fire TV and Roku smart TVs and streaming players, and it doesn’t cost extra to watch 4K games with a Sling subscription.
What’s the Catch with Sling TV?
There’s got to be some kind of tradeoff with Sling TV, right? No streaming service could offer the amount of content that Sling has without significant limitations, surely.
NBA fans will indeed notice some fairly glaring omissions if they’re hoping to watch local and national games with Sling TV. NBA clubs play the majority of their seasons on regional sports networks (RSNs) like those from Bally Sports, or broadcast channels that are only offered in their home media markets, and almost none of these are found on Sling TV.
So, if you’re looking for a streaming service that will provide you access to local and national NBA games you’ll have to look elsewhere. If you want to stream just the cream of the crop, however, Sling TV is a great way to watch all national NBA matchups.
Final Thoughts
We at The Streamable love Sling TV for a lot of reasons, as its low-price packages still deliver a great selection of popular cable channels. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for Sling TV, but you’ll still get access to high-demand news, sports, and entertainment content.
National NBA games will air on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT throughout the season, and no other streaming service lets fans watch them all at a price of less than $55 per month. Sling TV unlocks all nationally televised NBA contests for viewers around the United States, and it does so at a price that is incredibly affordable.
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. 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 ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $55 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.