Amazon signed its landmark streaming deal with the NBA in August 2025, a move that instantly reshaped the league’s media future. Starting with the 2025-26 season, Prime Video joins ESPN and NBC as a national broadcast partner, marking one of the biggest shifts in how fans will watch basketball in years. The challenge isn’t only about the number of games available. With so many platforms in play, the real test will be helping fans figure out where to watch on any given night.
The company has already shown its playbook with Thursday Night Football, where tech-driven features and fresh presentation gave the NFL a new digital look. Now Amazon is promising the same kind of innovation for basketball. More importantly, Amazon says its coverage will take a very different tone. A mix that could change the way we watch the NBA altogether.
Amazon’s top sports executive, Jay Marine, made that vision clear during the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit in New York. It was announced that the company won’t be following the traditional blueprint of ESPN or Inside the NBA. For decades, those shows have leaned into conflict, debate, and controversy from heated arguments on First Take to the playful but often critical banter of Inside the NBA. That formula has made them staples of basketball culture, but also magnets for negativity and hot-take-driven narratives.
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Marine said Amazon wants to go in the opposite direction, describing its philosophy as a twofold approach: “Our approach is really twofold. It’s to celebrate and educate,” he said, outlining a philosophy that contrasts sharply with the debate-heavy style of traditional studio shows. By “celebrate,” he means putting the spotlight back on the talent across both leagues. “Celebrate the game, celebrate how great these players are,” Marine explained.
“The modern player in the NBA, the skill level up and down the bench is incredible. Sometimes there’s too much weird negativity out there, when really, we should be celebrating how good these guys are. And that’s true, by the way, with the WNBA as well.” That means same attention would be given to WNBA, where the league has been eager for coverage that highlights growth and player excellence.
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Marine also acknowledged the reality of modern sports discourse, often harsh commentary that dominates X, formerly known as Twitter. While he admitted it’s difficult to tune out that environment, he made it clear Amazon won’t follow the same path. “Maybe it’s just part of the world we live in,” Marine said, noting the nostalgia many fans and media hold for how coverage used to feel. Still, his stance was firm: Amazon intends to steer clear of fueling social-media-style negativity and instead create programming that uplifts the game and broadens its appeal.
That approach puts Amazon in line with a broader industry shift. Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, also speaking at the event, described his network as “the unpaid marketing arm” of its league partners, emphasizing a similar commitment to positive storytelling. For Amazon, the difference will be in the technology. Just as it has done with Thursday Night Football where AI-driven features brought new layers of insight to broadcasts.
Marine said the company will apply innovations to basketball that go beyond box scores. “The real magic,” he explained, “is when you can pull insights that you could never pull before but explain them easily and quickly because the game is so fast-paced.” With that, Amazon isn’t just promising a new tone for NBA and WNBA coverage, it’s betting on a model that could reshape how fans connect with the sport.
Will this streaming deal make the NBA more accessible for fans?
While Amazon insists its new coverage will spotlight players and celebrate the game, the bigger question for many fans is whether the $77 billion media deal will actually make basketball easier to watch. Commissioner Adam Silver fueled controversy earlier this month when he downplayed rising costs, suggesting that those unable to afford subscriptions could still enjoy the NBA through highlights on social media. Calling basketball a “highlight sport,” he pointed to Instagram, TikTok, and even news clips as proof that fans already consume a huge amount of free content.
The comments landed poorly. Fans accused Silver of being dismissive, and analysts quickly warned the league could face a $75 million setback if rising costs drive viewers away. Critics argue that labeling the NBA a highlights-first product risks devaluing the full game experience, especially when many already struggle to keep track of games spread across ESPN, NBC, Amazon, Peacock, and League Pass.
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Silver does have defenders. Supporters say this is a win for casual viewers who don’t want to juggle subscriptions. But for devoted fans, the fractured schedule and ballooning monthly bills, sometimes topping $120 for a basic streaming setup remain a pressing concern. In the end, Silver’s stance may have unintentionally highlighted the NBA’s toughest challenge: balancing digital expansion with keeping its core product truly accessible.