Quick Answer: NBA TV is 216 on DIRECTV and 156 on DISH, with cable numbers that change by market. Before you go there, though, check that it is the channel you actually want. NBA TV carries very few live games, and since the league’s new media deal began, the national games are on ESPN and ABC, NBC and Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video. Your own team’s regular games are usually on a regional sports network instead.
If You Want to Watch a Game Tonight, Start Here
Most people searching for NBA TV are really searching for a game. This table gets you there faster than the channel number will.
| What you want to watch | Where it is |
|---|---|
| A nationally televised game | ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock or Amazon Prime Video |
| Your local team, most nights | Your regional sports network |
| An out-of-market game | NBA League Pass |
| The Finals | ABC |
| A handful of games a season, plus classics and studio shows | NBA TV |
That last row is the honest description of NBA TV. It is a league-owned channel built around highlights, analysis, archive games and a small live package, not a primary home for the sport.
NBA TV Numbers by Provider
| Provider | NBA TV |
|---|---|
| DIRECTV | 216 |
| DISH | 156 |
| Spectrum | Around 308, varies by market |
| Xfinity | Varies by market |
| Verizon Fios, Cox, Optimum, Mediacom | Varies by market |
The satellite numbers are national and stable. On cable, search the guide for “NBA” rather than hunting a number, or look yours up by ZIP in our TV Channel Finder.
Note: NBA TV is frequently placed in a sports tier rather than a base package, in the same way Big Ten Network is. If the channel appears in your guide but will not open, that is a package issue rather than a fault.
What NBA TV Itself Shows
| Content | How much of the schedule |
|---|---|
| Studio shows, analysis and highlights | The bulk of it, year round |
| Classic and archive games | A large share, especially off season |
| A limited live game package | Some nights in the regular season |
| Summer League | July, one of its busiest stretches |
| Draft and combine coverage | June |
| Playoff and Finals games | None. Those are on the national partners |
Summer League in July is genuinely the channel’s peak, which is an odd thing to say about a basketball network but accurate.
The Ownership Change, and Why the Channel Feels Different
If NBA TV seems like it has changed, it has. Warner Bros. Discovery, through Turner and later TNT Sports, ran the channel for the league from 2008 onward. That arrangement ended with the league’s new broadcast deal, and the NBA took full operational control of NBA TV back for the 2025 to 2026 season, after seventeen years.
Two things follow for viewers. The on-air talent and production style shifted, because the people who made it moved on with TNT Sports. And the channel is now run by the same organisation that runs the NBA app and League Pass, so the three are becoming more closely linked.
Worth knowing: this is the same shake-up that removed the NBA from TNT entirely. If you are looking for Inside the NBA, that show is now on ESPN, even though TNT Sports still produces it. Our guide to what channel ESPN is on has the numbers.
NBA TV Is Not NBA League Pass
| NBA TV | NBA League Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A cable channel | A subscription streaming product |
| Live games | A small package | Out-of-market games, most nights |
| Your local team | Rarely | Blacked out. Local games are not included |
| Cost | Part of your TV package | Paid separately |
The blackout row is the one that causes complaints. League Pass is built for people watching teams outside their own market. If you buy it to watch your home team, you will find those games unavailable, because they belong to your regional sports network. Our explainer on why sports streaming blackouts still exist covers the rules behind that.
When NBA TV Will Not Play
| Problem | Likely fix |
|---|---|
| No live game on 216 or 156 | Normal. Most nights NBA TV has no game. |
| Looking for a playoff game | Wrong channel. Those are on ESPN, ABC, NBC or Amazon. |
| Looking for your local team | Almost always your regional sports network. |
| Channel listed but locked | You are below the tier that carries it. Often a sports package. |
| League Pass blacking out your team | Working as designed. Local games are excluded. |
| Looking for Inside the NBA | It airs on ESPN now. |
| Cable number does not match | Cable maps vary. Search the guide for “NBA”. |
The author specializes in U.S. cable, satellite, and streaming TV services, with hands-on experience analyzing channel lineups, regional restrictions, equipment requirements, and contract terms. All the content is written with clear, easy-to-understand explanations to help readers compare services accurately and make informed decisions.
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