Where the games are, the 2026-27 season
Broadcast rights move between networks every few seasons. This reflects the the 2026-27 season season as of 2026-09-17 — confirm carriage before a season starts rather than assuming last year’s arrangement still holds.
| Game type | Typically carried by | Route without cable |
|---|---|---|
| National games | The league’s national broadcast and streaming partners | A live-TV streaming service, or the partner’s own app |
| Local team, regular season | A regional sports network | Check that network by name in your ZIP code |
| Out-of-market games | NBA League Pass | League subscription, local games blacked out |
| Playoffs and Finals | National partners | Antenna for broadcast windows, streaming service for cable windows |
What League Pass does and does not include
A League Pass subscription bought to watch your own team is the most common wasted sports purchase in the US. Confirm your market’s blackout rules first.
- Out-of-market games: included. This is the product.
- Your local team’s games: blacked out in your market.
- Nationally televised games: usually blacked out, because they are sold nationally.
- Condensed replays and archives: generally included and genuinely useful.
Blackouts and the local-market rule
Blackouts follow the ZIP code your account is registered to, not the team you support. Moving states changes which games you can see.
A VPN does not resolve a blackout as a matter of the service’s terms, and using one to misrepresent your location may breach them.
Setting up before the first game
- Confirm the specific networks above are available to you, in your market, before the season starts.
- Size your plan for the busiest day of the week, not the average one.
- Install and test on the TV you will actually watch on — not the laptop.
- Run a five-minute playback test during a live event, not a rerun.
- Have a backup route for the games that matter most. Nothing streamed is guaranteed.
Questions people ask
Why is my team blacked out on League Pass?
Because local rights are sold to a regional network in your market. League Pass is an out-of-market product, so the games available locally are excluded from it.
How do I watch my local NBA team without cable?
Identify the regional sports network that carries them, then check which services carry that network in your ZIP code. That single network is usually the whole decision.
Are NBA playoff games free?
Games in broadcast windows on national free-to-air networks are available with an antenna. Cable-network windows require a service that carries them.