“Roundball Rock” Returns in NBA’s New TV Deal – Exciting Updates for Viewers

Welcome back, “Roundball Rock.”

John Tesh’s iconic theme music for NBA broadcasts on NBC is making a return when the league’s new media rights deals start in the 2025-26 season. This forms part of an 11-year agreement the NBA finalized on Wednesday.

Some elements from the deal are particularly interesting for viewers:

NBC, which already airs Sunday Night Football, will introduce Sunday Night Basketball once the NFL playoffs conclude. There will be a one-hour pregame show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern, followed by an 8 p.m. game available on NBC and Peacock.

Peacock will broadcast national Monday regular-season games weekly, including doubleheaders later in the season. NBCUniversal will also feature two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day each January.

Disney outlets, namely ABC and ESPN, are set to distribute 80 regular-season games each season. At least 20 of these games will be on ABC during weekends, with up to 60 airing on ESPN, mostly on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Disney will continue to broadcast the NBA Finals. They will also cover all five Christmas games, have exclusive national coverage of the final day of the regular season, host a conference finals series 10 times in the 11-year span, and retain broadcasting rights for the NBA draft and draft lottery.

NBC and Peacock will air up to 100 regular-season games each season, with more than half on NBC during Sundays and Tuesdays. They will also feature the league’s opening night doubleheader. NBC will cover a conference finals in six out of the 11 years, become the home of all USA Basketball senior games, and see Xfinity become the Official TV Service of the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball.

Amazon Prime Video will distribute all six NBA Play-In Tournament games and stream about one-third of the games played in the first two playoff rounds. They will also air a conference finals in six of the 11 years, stream an expanded package of games to international markets such as Mexico, Brazil, and various European countries, and cover half of the NBA Summer League games.

The new agreement requires approximately 75 regular-season games to be broadcast on TV each year, which is about five times more than the current agreement.

Starting in 2026, NBC will replace TNT as the home of the NBA’s All-Star weekend, which includes events like Rising Stars, All-Star Saturday Night, and the All-Star Game.

Amazon’s deal also includes a new game on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Sixty-six regular-season NBA games will be on Prime Video each year, including the knockout rounds of the NBA Cup.

In anticipation of confusion over which games will be aired on which network, the NBA App is expected to help fans navigate the new broadcast landscape. The league hopes the app will become a universal access point for games across Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon platforms.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver emphasized the need for the league to innovate in how it delivers games. Highlighting the benefits of streaming technology, he mentioned customization, personalization, and multiple viewing angles as key elements. Silver, who has a background in NBA Entertainment, is eager to continue investing in resources to enhance the fan experience.

Source: Associated Press