NBA unveils 2025-26 rights overhaul with NBC return and NBA TV hub

The NBA and its broadcast partners unveiled a new national television and streaming lineup for the 2025-26 season, a multibillion-dollar reset that will redistribute rights across several networks, return the league to NBC airwaves for the first time since 2002, and place NBA-controlled programming at the center of its own streaming app and cable channel. Opening-night play begins Oct. 21 on NBC and Peacock, while the longtime studio show Inside the NBA will debut on ESPN and ABC on Oct. 22; NBA TV will begin airing a slate of exclusive regular-season games starting Oct. 25.

The league has reclaimed operational control of NBA TV and the NBA app for the first time since 2008, a change that follows the expiration of previous arrangements with Warner Bros. Discovery and the broader reworking of media rights. NBA TV and the app will serve as a global hub for live games, original programming, behind-the-scenes content, podcasts and creator-driven material, the league said. "NBA TV and the NBA App are designed to be a connected, global hub for basketball coverage, delivering nonstop access to live games, original programming and exclusive behind-the-scenes content," NBA senior vice...