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How to watch NBA 2023: channels, streaming and schedule – SFGATE
Basketball is officially back. Here’s how to watch all of the NBA regular season games this year.
The 2023-2024 NBA season kicks off today, Oct. 24, and every team has 82 games between now and the start of the playoffs. That’s a lot of basketball to watch — as well as a lot of channels and broadcasts to keep track of.
To catch as much basketball as possible this season, you may want to consider signing up for a streaming platform like fuboTV or DIRECTV STREAM since they include all national TV games as well as most regional sports networks that broadcast local games. For out-of-market viewing, NBA League Pass offers access to local games for all 30 teams in the league.
Here's everything you need to know about watching NBA games this season, from channels to live streaming.
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NBA games are televised in one of two ways: nationally or locally. To watch the nationally televised NBA games this season — which typically include the most popular teams and the biggest games — you need the following channels:
With just these channels, you’ll be able to tune in to more than 250 nationally televised NBA games throughout the season — but that’s only about 20% of the total games played. If you have a local team that you’re a fan of, you need to make sure you have access to the Regional Sports Network (RSN) that broadcasts that team’s games.
For all out-of-market games and to watch as many matchups as possible this year, you’ll want to sign up for NBA League Pass (more on this later).
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Since most games during the NBA season are not nationally broadcast, you might only be able to tune in via your local team’s RSN. Here’s a complete list of which teams play on which RSN so you can find the best streaming service for watching the NBA this season:
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Whether your cable TV package doesn’t include all the channels you need or you don't want to rely on an antenna, there's plenty of options. The easiest way to watch the games this season is with a streaming service that includes live TV. Not only do top streaming services include ABC, ESPN, and TNT so you can catch all the national TV games, but you can also get access to the RSN in your area for all local games, too.
These are the best streaming services for watching the NBA this season:
fuboTV ($74.99/month with one-week free trial; Elite plan has most regional sports networks)
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DIRECTV STREAM ($74.99/month after three months at $64.99/month; Choice plan has most regional sports networks)
Hulu + Live TV ($69.99/month; also gives you access to Disney+ and ESPN+; has some regional sports networks)
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YouTube TV ($72.99/month after three months at $54.99/month; has some regional sports networks)
Sling TV Orange + Blue ($55.00/month; $27.50 for your first month; fewest regional sports networks)
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Max B/R Sports (Free for existing Max subscribers through February 2024; $9.99/month starting March 2024; streams live games that air on TNT and TBS)
NBA League Pass ($99.99/season or $14.99/month; for out-of-market fans)
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The only way to watch all out-of-market games during the NBA season is with NBA League Pass. The NBA's streaming platform offers access to all locally broadcast games throughout the NBA season. This means that you'll be able to watch any game that isn’t on national TV and isn’t being broadcast by the RSN in your area.
Not only does League Pass give you access to the most games possible, but it’s also the only way to follow your team from anywhere outside the local area. League Pass starts at $99.99/season or $14.99/month for access to all 30 teams’ out-of-market games. If you only want to follow one team, you can save $10 and pay $89.99 for the season.
League Pass can be purchased in the following ways:
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Here are some key dates and important events to keep in mind as the NBA season moves forward, as well as which channel you can watch it on:
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For a complete list of every NBA game and broadcast channel, check out the NBA's full schedule.
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