NBA adds more broadcast TV games in second year of rights deal

Key Points:

• The 2026-27 NBA regular season will feature a record 71 games broadcast on network television, up from 62 last season, marking a significant increase in the league's broadcast TV presence.
• NBC will air 50 games, an increase of 11 from last year, while ABC will broadcast 21 games, two fewer than the previous season; this shift balances a reduction in games exclusively on Peacock and NBCSN.
• The percentage of national NBA games on broadcast TV has risen from 27% to 31%, with NBC introducing new programming such as a third Opening Night game, a Presidents Day tripleheader, and expanded Sunday Night Basketball doubleheaders.
• ABC will start its season earlier with a Knicks-Heat game on December 12 and will air a historic four-game quadrupleheader on January 30, the first time outside Christmas that a single network has broadcast four NBA games in one day.
• ESPN/ABC will maintain 80 total windows, while Prime Video will hold 67, including special broadcasts like a New Year’s Eve game, continuing the league’s broad multi-platform media strategy.