The NBA has renewed its partnership with The Walt Disney Company and inked new agreements with NBC Universal and Amazon. The deals will see ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video telecast NBA games from 2025-26 through 2035-36.
The NBA App will be a universal access point, directing fans to every national game across Disney, NBCU, and Amazon platforms. These agreements aim to expand the reach of NBA telecasts, with all national games available on streaming services such as Prime Video, Peacock, and ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service.
The number of games on broadcast television will significantly increase, with approximately 75 regular-season games set to air each season, up from the current minimum of 15.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: Our new global media agreements with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon will maximize the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and worldwide. Partners will distribute our content across various platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade.
Disney (ABC/ESPN) will distribute 80 NBA regular-season games per season. This includes more than 20 games on ABC, generally on Saturday nights with NBA Saturday Primetime and Sunday afternoons with NBA Sunday Showcase, and up to 60 games on ESPN, typically on Wednesday and Friday nights.
ABC/ESPN will continue to telecast all five NBA games on Christmas Day and provide exclusive national coverage of the final day of the regular season.
In the playoffs, ABC/ESPN will telecast approximately 18 games in the first two rounds each year and one of the two Conference Finals series in 10 of the 11 years of the agreement. ABC will remain the exclusive home of the NBA Finals. All NBA games and events on ABC/ESPN will be available on ESPN’s forthcoming direct-to-consumer service. Disney will distribute NBA games on ESPN-branded assets in several international markets, including Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and the Netherlands, and via Disney+ in select Asian and European markets.
NBCU (NBC/Peacock) will distribute up to 100 NBA regular-season games per season, with more than half airing on NBC on Sunday and Tuesday nights. NBCU will telecast the league’s opening night doubleheader on NBC each year and at least two games on MLK Day on NBC and/or Peacock each season. Peacock will stream a doubleheader each Monday night of the season.
NBC will become the home of NBA All-Stars, including Rising Stars, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, and the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, NBC and/or Peacock will telecast approximately twenty-eight games in the first two rounds, with at least half of those games airing on NBC. NBC will also telecast one of the two Conference Finals series in six of the 11 years on a rotating basis with Amazon.
Amazon will distribute 66 NBA regular-season games on Prime Video each season. This includes Thursday night doubleheaders beginning in January, Friday evening doubleheaders, select Saturday afternoon games, and at least one game on Black Friday. Prime Video will also stream the Quarterfinals and Semifinals in the Knockout Round of the Emirates NBA Cup and the Championship Game of the Emirates NBA Cup.
Prime Video will stream all six NBA Play-In Tournament games and approximately one-third of the first and second rounds of the playoffs each year. Prime Video will also stream one of the two Conference Finals series in six of the 11 years on a rotating basis with NBCU. Amazon will distribute NBA games globally as part of Prime Video, with an expanded package of games in select territories, including Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Prime Video will also become the NBA’s strategic partner and third-party global destination of NBA League Pass, the league’s live NBA game subscription service. This partnership includes expanded distribution rights for NBA League Pass in the U.S. and internationally. Prime Video will stream half of all NBA Summer League games and a package of WNBA and NBA G League regular-season and postseason games.
Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said, “We look forward to continuing to innovate and evolve live sports coverage for our customers and are fully committed to building an incredible video experience for millions of NBA fans starting in 2025.”
NBCU President Mike Cavanagh commented, “We are proud to once again partner with the NBA and WNBA, two iconic brands and the home of the best basketball in the world. We look forward to presenting our best-in-class coverage of both leagues with our innovative programming and distribution plan across NBC and Peacock.”
Disney, NBCU, and Amazon have also secured the right to distribute an unprecedented number of WNBA live game telecasts. A separate press release will issue full details regarding the WNBA’s media agreements.
This new chapter in NBA broadcasting and streaming marks a significant step in making the game more accessible to fans worldwide. The expanded partnerships promise to deliver more games on broadcast television and streaming platforms, ensuring that fans can enjoy NBA action like never before.
