NBA PlayoffsPlayoffs Underway
2026 NBA Playoffs TV Schedule:
Start Date, Channels & How to Watch
The first round kicks off Saturday, April 18 across ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video. The Play-In Tournament (April 14–17) runs first, exclusively on Prime Video. One important change this season: TNT is gone — this is the first NBA postseason in over 20 years without it.
📺No TNT in 2026 — TNT lost its NBA rights after the 2024–25 season. Playoff games that aired on TNT now split across NBC/Peacock, ABC/ESPN, and Prime Video. If your streaming bundle carries TNT but not the others, you'll need to add subscriptions.
Key Dates
April 14–17
Play-In Tournament
All 6 games on Prime Video
April 18
First Round — Game 1s
ABC, NBC/Peacock, Prime Video
May ~2–4
Second Round begins
Exact dates TBD
May 19
Eastern Conference Finals
ESPN/ABC exclusive
May 20
Western Conference Finals
NBC/Peacock exclusive in 2026
June 3
NBA Finals — Game 1
ABC, 8:30 PM ET
June 19
NBA Finals — Game 7
ABC, 8:30 PM ET (if needed)
Playoff Schedule
Full schedule will appear here as games are confirmed after the Play-In Tournament (April 14–17).
Playoff schedules are released as games are confirmed.
Check back after the Play-In Tournament concludes (April 17).
Games by Platform
Every playoff game is on one of these three. No cable required — each has a streaming option.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime required — $139/yr or $14.99/moPlay-In TournamentAll 6 games — exclusive to Prime Video
April 14–17First Round~17 games across both conferences
April 18–May ~3Second Round~9 games across both conferences
TBDFirst Round~18 games
April 18–May ~3Conference SemifinalsSelected games
TBDConference FinalsEastern Conference Finals — exclusive
TBDNBA FinalsAll games on ABC, 8:30 PM ET
June 3–19NBC / Peacock
NBC games also stream live on PeacockFirst Round~28 games across both rounds
April 18–May ~3Conference SemifinalsSelected games
TBDConference FinalsWestern Conference Finals — exclusive in 2026
TBD⚠️ Your team's local channel doesn't carry playoffs
Unlike the regular season — where most games air on local RSNs — every 2026 NBA Playoff game is a national broadcast. If you subscribed to a streaming bundle specifically for your team's RSN, you'll need to add Peacock, Prime Video, or a live TV service (Hulu, YouTube TV, FuboTV) for ABC/ESPN games.
What You Need to Watch Everything
Amazon Prime VideoREQUIRED FOR PLAY-IN
$14.99/mo or $139/yr
All Play-In games + ~17 first-round games + ~9 second-round games.
ESPN / ABC
Via Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, or FuboTV
Selected games every round. All NBA Finals games on ABC.
NBC / Peacock
Peacock: $7.99/mo (with ads)
Selected first and second round games. Western Conference Finals in 2026.
Following a specific team?
Each team page shows the regular-season broadcast setup and tonight's game details.
Broadcast assignments subject to change. Schedule data sourced from NBA.com and updated automatically. Team logos and trademarks are the property of the National Basketball Association and its respective clubs. Streaming service names and logos are the property of their respective owners. HowToWatchMyTeam.com is not affiliated with the NBA or any streaming service. Used for informational purposes only.