Amazon Prime Video and DIRECTV Offer the Best Cheap NBA Deals This Season
You don’t need expensive cable to keep up with the NBA
As NBA media rights have fragmented across an expanding list of networks and streaming services, piecing together a setup to watch a full season of games gets expensive (and confusing) fast.
Still, savvy fans can stack free trial offers and low-cost plans to build a solid lineup without breaking the bank.
In our eyes, Amazon Prime Video offers one of the cheapest entry points for essential NBA streaming (and has a super-long free trial!), and when paired with other free trials like DIRECTV‘s, you can stream live hoops for a fraction of the cost.
Keep reading for our picks for the best ways to stream the NBA on the cheap this season.
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CableTV.com’s take: Stack free trials for the best savings
For budget-conscious bball fans, Amazon Prime Video is the streaming MVP this NBA season. Prime Video holds exclusive rights to Thursday and Friday night doubleheaders, the entire NBA Cup knockout stage, and the Play-In Tournament.
If you don’t need a full Amazon Prime shopping membership (which is the best deal IMO), a standalone Prime Video plan costs just $8.99/mo.—or you can test-drive it with a 30-day free trial. Prime Video also acts as a hub where you can add a 7-day free trial of NBA League Pass to watch out-of-market games without juggling extra logins.
To cover local regional sports networks (RSNs) and national channels like ABC, NBC, and ESPN, I say stack on a five-day free trial of DIRECTV. While DIRECTV’s CHOICE plan ($99.99/mo. after trial) is a high-tier investment—one we think is worth it for big sports fans—timing its trial during key rivalry weeks or Play-In games lets you watch complete live coverage across every core network at no cost.
Need every NBA game out there? While combining Amazon Prime Video and DIRECTV covers a lot, you’ll need a few other services for total NBA coverage. Check out our guide to watching NBA games to find out how to complete your basketball setup.
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