The NBA has an “Unwatchability” Problem.

On April 4th, 2025, the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors tipped off in the Bay Area. A few seconds into the game, the NBA League Pass, the NBA’s own streaming service, went dark. Within the last 3 games of the season, following a tight Western Conference race for seeding, the game was unable to be seen by fans.

NBA viewership is down 5% with agitated fans coming to the consensus that the “NBA is unwatchable.” Whether that be from the league moving to a more 3-point shot heavy playstyle many young athletes are adopting or resting healthy players too often, the NBA has a literal unwatchability problem in it’s blackout restrictions.

The NBA sells the rights to games in the local area to regional sports networks (RSNs). Your RSN is determined by the ZIP code you reside in, and the games they have the rights to are exclusively shown on that network, essentially “blacking out” any other programming. The thing is, many RSNs are not included by default and packaged for a higher price point on network TV bundles. This means that unless you are willing to pay a higher price point, you cannot watch your local sports team on your television.

While the blackout on April 4th was not due to RSNs but the league’s own streaming service, it still sits in the same realm when it comes to the difficulty of watching live basketball. The NBA has gone on to make a statement about a new media rights deal for the upcoming 25-26 season, removing TNT from the equation and replacing it with Amazon’s service, Prime Video. Prime Video joins Peacock and ESPN’s soon-to-be streaming service as another contender in the ring to get as many of the 82 games a season onto their platform. Estimating ESPN’s service to be the $8.99 standard set by streaming services’ “low cost with ads” option, it would take upwards of 30 dollars a month to guarantee watching your favorite team play.

That is, unless your favorite team happens to be the one you live next to. No official talks of removing local blackout restrictions mean that, no matter the streaming service, Denver Nuggets fans in Colorado will still be unable to watch Nuggets basketball. Unless, however, you pay the higher price point on a cable service you do not already have. The talented players of the NBA deserve to have their fans watching them. However, the NBA keeps throwing hurdles for the fans to cross.