NBA on television

From left-to-right: an NBA on TNT production staff member; and commentators Mike Fratello, Reggie Miller, and Marv Albert during a broadcast in December 2008

National Basketball Association (NBA) games are televised nationally in the United States, as well as on multiple local channels and regional sports networks.[1] Since the 2002–03 season, broadcast channel ABC, and pay TV networks ESPN and TNT have nationally televised games. Throughout most of the regular season, ESPN shows doubleheaders on Wednesday and Friday nights, while TNT shows doubleheaders on Tuesday and Thursday nights. In the second half of the season, ABC shows a single game on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Games are shown almost every night on NBA TV. There are some exceptions to this schedule, including Tip-off Week, Christmas Day, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. More games may be shown as the end of the regular season approaches, particularly games with playoff significance. During the playoffs, the first round are split between TNT, ESPN, NBA TV, and ABC on mostly weekends the second round are split between ESPN, TNT and ABC on weekends. The conference finals are split between ESPN/ABC and TNT; the two networks alternate which complete series they will carry from year to year. The entire NBA Finals is shown nationally on ABC. The NBA Finals is one of the few sporting events to be shown on a national broadcast network on a weeknight. Two new partners are set to join ESPN/ABC in televising the NBA in the 2025–26 season, with NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video replacing TNT.

Games not televised by its national partners are instead broadcast by local broadcast stations and regional sports networks, televising their respective local team within their respective region. A number of nationally televised games are also non-exclusive, meaning that the national telecasts may also air in tandem with those of the game by local broadcasters.

With the Toronto Raptors being the only NBA team in Canada, TV rights differ in that country. Games exclusively televised south of the border by ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV may be simulcast by a Canadian network, but all contests involving the Raptors are non-exclusive north of the border.

In addition to the English-language television broadcasts, select NBA games also have Spanish-language broadcasts since 2002.[2][3]

  1. ^ Sarmento, Mario R. "The NBA on Network Television: Historical Analysis".
  2. ^ NBA Finals 2002 to be broadcast on TV, radio, Internet - NBA, May 29, 2002
  3. ^ Telemundo to Air NBA en Español - R. Thomas Umstead, Multichannel, August 25, 2002