A couple of weeks ago, a friend I hadnโt seen in a while was visiting Chicago. We decided to go to a bar, get something to eat, catch up and watch Game 3 of the Celtics-76ers series.
As we walked in, I noticed MLB, the NHL and the NFL Draft were all being shown on TVs, but during the first round of the playoffs, no NBA. We asked about our game. The bartender shrugged. Turns out, you could get a bucket of beer, but pro buckets werenโt on the restaurantโs viewing menu.
Instead of leaving, we decided to order a couple of drinks. My friend pulled up the game on his phone and propped it up on the bar. In 2026, we were streaming a pro leagueโs playoff game on an iPhone. It didnโt occur to us that we needed to consider the changes to the leagueโs broadcast partners when we were deciding which bar to go to.
After a couple of appetizers and a round of drinks, I couldnโt take watching the game on a small screen. We decided to walk around the neighborhood to look for somewhere else to catch the NBA on TV in public.
We passed bar after bar, all crowded because people were out enjoying the warmish weather, but none were showing the NBA playoffs. Sure, the Bulls werenโt playing this time of year and havenโt in quite some time, but the Blackhawks werenโt playing either, yet there was playoff hockey on. Besides, itโs postseason hoops! I thought it would be on somewhere.
I couldnโt help but wonder: Were bars not interested in showing the games? Or, were they unable to?
So I set out to investigate.
This season, the NBA aired games on multiple networks and platforms, including ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC/Peacock. Prime Video streamed 66 regular-season games, the NBA Cup and approximately one-third of the playoffs. NBCUniversal aired 100 regular-season games across NBC and Peacock (NBCโs streaming platform), including Sunday night games, plus playoff coverage. The 11-year media rights deal will net the NBA $77 billion.
The league saw high viewership…