UK NBA broadcasting runs through two channels: Sky Sports, which carries selected games per week including primetime windows and playoff fixtures, and NBA League Pass UK, the league’s own direct-to-consumer subscription for fans who want every out-of-market game. Unlike the US picture under the new rights cycle, the UK structure is straightforward: subscribe to one or both depending on how much you want to watch.
Sky Sports — the linear UK home
Sky Sports has held UK NBA rights for over two decades. The current arrangement carries:
- Approximately five live games per week during the regular season
- Most NBA primetime windows (selected from the ESPN/ABC/NBC/Amazon US schedule)
- All Christmas Day games
- The NBA All-Star Weekend
- All playoff games (Sky carries the full postseason)
- The NBA Finals
Access in the UK is via:
- NOW Sports Membership — £26/mo or £35/mo for the Premier League included tier (streaming-only)
- Sky TV + Sky Sports — £56/mo combined or thereabouts
- Sky Glass / Sky Stream with Sky Sports
For a UK fan whose primary interest is the NBA playoffs and the biggest regular-season games, NOW Sports Membership at £26/mo is the practical entry point.
NBA League Pass UK
The NBA’s direct-to-consumer subscription is available in the UK with the following pricing as of 2026:
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Team Pass (one team, full season) | £39.99/season |
| League Pass (full league) | £56.99/season |
| League Pass Premium (full league, ad-free) | £85.99/season |
| Monthly League Pass | £14.99/mo |
Notably, UK NBA League Pass is dramatically cheaper than the US equivalent (~£57 vs ~$180). This is consistent with the league’s tiered international pricing.
What League Pass UK includes vs Sky
League Pass UK carries every NBA game live and on demand, including most of the games Sky carries. The exception is the small number of UK-blackout fixtures (typically the same games Sky has live carriage on — a handful per week). The blackout window for League Pass UK is around 30-90 minutes for those games, after which they become available on demand.
For a UK fan who wants the full NBA season: League Pass UK at £56.99/season is sufficient on its own for most viewing, with Sky as a backup for the live-blackout games.
For a UK fan who only wants the biggest matchups: NOW Sports Membership at £26/mo covers Sky’s NBA slate.
The 2025-26 rights shift in the US — and what it means for UK fans
The US rights shift from ESPN/Turner to ESPN/NBC/Amazon does not directly affect UK broadcasting. UK rights are held by Sky and League Pass independently. UK fans see the same products in 2026 as they did in 2025 — the price of League Pass UK and the Sky carriage have not materially changed under the US deal restructure.
How to watch on a TV in the UK
NOW Sports Membership runs on Smart TVs, mobile, consoles, and the web. NBA League Pass UK runs on Smart TVs (2019 onward), Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, mobile, web, and the NBA’s own app. Both support 1080p; selected NBA broadcasts are in 4K HDR via the NBA app on supported devices.
Cross-reference: our US NBA guide and US NBA League Pass guide explain the dramatically more complex US picture. UK readers — see also our UK Premier League guide for the football scene. For broader US sports references see Sportsurge and Methstreams.
See also
For readers arriving via a stream2watch search: see our mystream2watch explainer and Stream2Watch alternatives — both pages explain what the old site was, why it’s gone, and the legal broadcaster map for the UK, US, and Germany.