The wise Slim Charles once said, "The game the same, it just got more fierce." In that instance, he was speaking on the state of the Baltimore drug trade. But as is the case with all great philosophers, his words can be applied to many different situations.
As an NBA writer, I naturally try to relate Charles’ words to basketball. The NBA is the same game as it has always been (albiet with a lot better spacing and shot selection). But nowadays, it is harder to actually watch than ever.
The Rise Of Streaming Services Has Made Watching Basketball More Expensive Than Ever
Gone are the days of waiting patiently for the next episode of your favorite show to drop or for TNT to run your favorite movie. Thanks to services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Paramount+, we can now watch our favorite shows/movies wherever and whenever we please.
Due to their rise in popularity, these programs have gained a great deal of power. So much so that they are now gaining control of live professional sporting events. Last season, I watched numerous NFL games on Amazon Prime and Peacock.
The NBA has been joining the party. Last season, you could view games on ESPN and TNT’s streaming platforms. But starting next season, things are about to get even fiercer.
In the Summer of 2024, the NBA agreed to a new national television deal with the Walt Disney Company (which airs games on ESPN and ABC), NBC Universal and Amazon, the league announced Wednesday. The 11-year deal is worth a $76 billion.
That deal begins next season, as the old deal (a nine-year, $24 billion deal) expired at the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign. That means that nationally televised games can be found on NBC/Peacock, Disney/ESPN, and Amazon Prime Video.
To acquire those three streaming services, you will need to fork over at least $54 a month, and that is for the base-level version of these products. That number could be higher if you want to avoid excessive ads and whatnot.
If you have YouTube TV ($83), you can watch everything on NBC/ABC/ESPN, but you would still need subscriptions for Peacock and Amazon Prime ($24).
When you think about it, this is still cheaper than a traditional cable package. According to a survey conducted by Cord Cutters News in 2024, the average monthly cable bill is roughly $147. However, many people have gone away from that source of entertainment.
Another option is to subscribe to NBA League Pass ($17). This allows patrons to watch any out-of-market game live or any time after the fact. They also offer all games dating back to 2012, along with a handful of classic/NBA Finals games.
However, even this option comes with some downsides. You can’t watch any nationally televised games on NBA League Pass until three hours after the game’s conclusion. This does little for people who are watching the sport solely for entertainment purposes. You also can’t watch local games until three days after they air. Again, not super useful to anyone who isn’t using NBA League Pass to study film. So, if you want to watch those games live, you would still need to pay for the three services we mentioned above and whatever service your local team is using.
No matter how you slice it, watching the NBA is going to be more expensive than it once was. And unfortunately, Commissioner Adam Silver doesn’t seem to have much sympathy for the dilemma fans of the league are facing. In a recent press conference, Silver tried to downplay the rising cost of watching games by saying that fans who don’t want to pay for streaming services can still consume free highlights, going as far as to call the NBA a "highlight sport." Here is the full quote for those who are interested:
"There’s a huge amount of our content that people can essentially consume for free," he said. "I mean this is very much a highlights-based sport. So Instagram, TikTok, Twitter you name it…There's an enormous amount of content out there. YouTube, another example that is advertising based that consumers can consume."
From a fan’s perspective, this is not the kind of messaging you want to hear from your NBA Commissioner. Basketball is a beautiful sport, and the NBA represents the highest level at which it is played. Yes, it is a business at the end of the day, but it still should be relatively accessible to all those who want to enjoy it.
When the first ball tips off next season, the NBA will continue to go on like it has for the past eight decades. The only difference is that it will be harder and more expensive for people to watch. Looks like Charles and his legendary words remain undefeated.