The NBA playoffs began proper on time earlier this month, however whereas the playoff calendar hasn’t modified this 12 months, the published schedule has shifted for the 2026 playoffs.
Below the NBA’s new media-rights deal, video games this season have been cut up throughout its three broadcast companions: Disney (ABC/ESPN), Comcast (NBC/Peacock) and Amazon (Prime Video). Every of those three entities has part of the playoffs.
Here is what it is advisable to know to observe the 2026 NBA playoffs on this new streaming period for skilled basketball.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have a first-round matchup towards the Phoenix Suns as they try to repeat as NBA champions.
Methods to watch the NBA playoffs
The channel lineup wanted for the NBA playoffs is completely different this 12 months. Gone are video games on TNT and NBA TV. As a substitute, you will want a TV subscription that has ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBC Sports activities Community — plus Amazon Prime. Or you’ll be able to go the streaming route and use Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN Limitless.
NBC/Peacock has essentially the most first-round protection. It’s going to present as much as 23 first-round video games and 11 second-round video games in addition to the Western Convention Finals. Each considered one of its video games will stream on Peacock and in addition be proven on both NBC or NBCSN.
The remainder of the primary spherical video games shall be cut up between ESPN/ABC and Prime Video. This 12 months’s Japanese Convention finals shall be on ESPN/ABC. And in June, the NBA Finals shall be broadcast on ABC.
You may see all the first-round matchups and TV schedule here.
Peacock will stream NBA playoff video games from the primary spherical by means of the Western Convention Finals. Video games on Peacock can even seem on NBC or NBC Sports activities Community, so you do not essentially want Peacock to have entry to each NBA playoff recreation.
You may stream each NBA playoff broadcast with Peacock’s $11-a-month Premium plan. Read our Peacock review.
Prime Video will present first- and second-round video games by means of Might 17.
Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime subscription for $15 a month or $139 a 12 months. You too can subscribe solely to Prime Video for $9 a month. Read our Prime Video review.
With ESPN Limitless, you’ll be able to watch each NBA playoff recreation that is on ESPN or ABC. It’s going to have protection for each spherical of the playoffs, together with the Japanese Convention Finals and NBA Finals.
The ESPN Limitless plan prices $30 a month (or $300 a 12 months) and allows you to stream all of ESPN’s linear networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, SEC Community and ACC Community. You additionally get entry to programming on ESPN on ABC, ESPN Plus, ESPN3, SECN Plus and ACCNX. Read our ESPN Unlimited review.
(There’s additionally a $13-a-month ESPN Choose plan, which is mainly a rebranding of ESPN Plus. With it, you will have entry to 1000’s of reside video games — suppose small school conferences, whose video games you’ll be able to’t watch wherever else — however not the NBA.)
Finest reside TV streaming service for the NBA Playoffs
In case you are already an Amazon Prime subscriber, you then simply want 4 TV channels to get full protection of the NBA playoffs: ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBC Sports activities Community. The catch is NBCSN, which Comcast simply relaunched late final 12 months forward of its protection of the Winter Olympics.
The 5 main reside TV streaming providers — DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling and YouTube TV — every carry ABC, NBC and ESPN, however I can discover NBCSN solely on YouTube TV’s channel listings. So, that is the choose for the NBA playoffs should you do not wish to miss a recreation.
YouTube TV prices $83 a month and consists of ABC, ESPN, NBC and NBC Sports activities Community. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV’s welcome page to see which native networks can be found in your space. There’s a five-day trial, and the primary three months are discounted to $68 a month for brand new subscribers.
Reside TV streaming providers assist you to cancel anytime and require a stable web connection. On the lookout for extra info? Take a look at our reside TV streaming services guide and our picks for the best sports streaming services.
