Two months of the NBA season have passed. The early controversy of a betting scandal involving Chauntey Billups and Terry Rozier feels distant. The league’s landscape is now coming into sharp focus. The New York Knicks have already won the NBA Cup as mid-season tournament champions. The Oklahoma City Thunder have solidified their status as the favourites to win the championship.
The Western Conference has become a nightly battle. Playoff seeding likely will not be settled until the final buzzer of the regular season. The competition is incredibly fierce.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference remains wide open. A stunning resurgence from the Detroit Pistons highlights it. The team was statistically the worst in basketball just two years ago. They now find themselves fighting for the top seed. This turnaround exemplifies the parity currently defining the league.
The NBA is experiencing its most successful broadcasting window in over a decade. This comes just as the annual Christmas Day games approach. The league recently announced a major surge in national TV viewership. It is up a staggering 89% compared to last season.
More than 87 million people in the U.S. have watched NBA games this season across NBC/Peacock, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBA TV, the most viewers in 15 years and up 89% vs. last year.
(Excludes 2011-12 season which began on Christmas Day.) pic.twitter.com/zf5iAbbdnG
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 22, 2025More than 87 million people in the U.S. have tuned into national broadcasts this year. This marks the highest audience engagement in 15 years. This massive spike is not a coincidence. It is the direct result of strategic league initiatives.
A key driver is the league’s “Tap to Watch” initiative. This digital feature makes the product significantly easier to find. It removes the friction of hunting for a stream. The technology uses the NBA’s own ecosystem. It instantly connects fans to live games on ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock, and Prime Video.
Beyond technology, the on-court product is keeping viewers engaged. The league is seeing unprecedented parity. A massive percentage of games are entering “clutch time.” This is defined as a scoring margin of five points or less within the final five minutes. The standings are so tightly packed in both conferences that every game matters.
More than 87 million people in the U.S. have watched NBA games this season across NBC/Peacock, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBA TV, the most viewers in 15 years and up 89% vs. last year.
(Excludes 2011-12 season which began on Christmas Day.) pic.twitter.com/aHP4dVHZ5m
— NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2025Navigating the New NBA Media Deal
Commissioner Adam Silver outlined a revamped broadcasting strategy earlier this year. The goal is to give fans a predictable rhythm for finding the week’s biggest matchups.
The 2025-26 national TV schedule is now strictly organised by day and platform. This ensures fans know exactly where to go without having to check local listings.
A Structured Weekly Broadcast Schedule
- Peacock now anchors Mondays.
- Tuesdays see the league return to the broader NBC and Peacock umbrella.
- Mid-week action remains a staple on Wednesdays on ESPN and the ESPN App.
Read: Stan Van Gundy Calls Nikola Jokic the Best Player in NBA History
The weekend coverage has also shifted significantly toward digital and broadcast giants.
- Saturdays feature a split schedule. Amazon Prime Video takes over afternoon games. ABC and the ESPN App handle the primetime matchups.
- Sundays offer a double-header for the national audience. It begins with afternoon games on ABC. It then transitions into the prestigious Sunday night window on NBC and Peacock.
This structured approach has provided the consistency the league needed. It has successfully turned the NBA into a daily television staple once again.
