NBA streaming offers more options, more headaches

Every NBA game can now be streamed. Finding the right service and figuring out what it will cost? Well, that’s where watching basketball becomes a homework assignment.

As Jacob Feldman of Sportico details, the league’s streaming expansion has created wildly different viewing experiences depending on where fans live. Local broadcast territories still apply, and League Pass still blacks out the teams whose territory you live in.

In other words, buying the NBA’s streaming package won’t necessarily get you the team down the street.

Cavaliers fans know the frustration. Cleveland moved its local broadcasts to DAZN, and Awful Announcing ranked the Cavs last in local broadcast accessibility. Fans also need access to national platforms to catch the entire schedule, though 15 games are scheduled for free local simulcasts.

Elsewhere, some teams are making a bigger bet on free television. Sportico reports that 11 teams are airing all their regional games over the air. Fans seeking the national schedule without cable, meanwhile, face roughly $280 in ESPN, Prime Video and Peacock subscriptions, excluding NBA TV games.

That raises a question beyond the monthly bill. How many casual fans will keep making the effort?

Cleveland radio host Ken Carman raised that concern this week, saying the Cavs need to make their games more accessible.

He has a point. The devoted fan will usually find the game. The person who might watch a quarter after dinner is the one the NBA risks losing.