NBA Playoffs and the Streaming Gap: Bars Struggle to Show Games

During the 2026 NBA playoffs, many bars in Chicago and other cities could not locate a television broadcasting the Celtics-76ers series. Patrons resorted to streaming the game on personal smartphones because commercial establishments are prohibited from using residential streaming subscriptions. The problem stems from the league’s new broadcast arrangement that places a substantial portion of postseason games on streaming-only platforms.

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The NBA’s 11-year media-rights agreement, valued at $77 billion, distributes games across ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC/Peacock. Prime Video streams 66 regular-season games, the NBA Cup, and roughly one-third of the playoffs; NBCUniversal airs 100 regular-season games on NBC and Peacock, including Sunday night matchups. Nielsen’s recent methodology now captures “out-of-home” viewership (bars, restaurants), which has contributed to record-breaking ratings reports for the regular season and the first round of the postseason (average 3.91 million viewers per game).

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• $77 billion total value of the 11-year rights deal.

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• 66 regular-season games on Prime Video; 100 on NBC/Peacock.

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• First-round postseason viewership averaged 3.91 million per game, the highest in 33 years.

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• Bars cannot legally subscribe to residential streaming; licensing fees are calculated by fire-code occupancy, and violations can result in fines.

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The NBA has confirmed that its partnership model intentionally spreads games across multiple networks and streaming services to maximize revenue and audience reach. Nielsen has adjusted its ratings system to include out-of-home consumption, directly influencing the league’s reported viewership spikes. EverPass, a business-to-business streaming distributor owned by the NFL, RedBird Capital Partners, and TKO Group Holdings, announced exclusive agreements with NBC’s Peacock, Apple TV, ESPN+ for Business, Paramount+, and Prime Video to provide a legal avenue for commercial venues to access live sports content.

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Fans and bar owners have expressed frustration that the fragmented broadcast landscape forces patrons to watch on small personal devices, undermining the communal experience of watching games in public spaces. Bar proprietors cite the cost of commercial licenses—scaled to venue occupancy—and the risk of penalties for unauthorized streaming as deterrents, leading many establishments to forgo airing NBA games altogether. Critics argue that the shift to streaming-only platforms threatens the traditional “gather-around-the-TV” culture that fuels fan engagement.

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• “They need a legal way to stream this content,” — Alex Kaplan, CEO, EverPass

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• “You need to give it to them in a productized way that’s built for business, because it’s not the same thing as residential and that’s why we’re here.” — Alex Kaplan, CEO, EverPass

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• “The streaming landscape is confusing, and we’re built to fix that confusion,” — Alex Kaplan, CEO, EverPass

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• “We’re making huge progress and growing like crazy, but we don’t have everyone yet, and we need to keep communicating so we stay in the forefront of the commercial market.” — Alex Kaplan, CEO, EverPass

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EverPass is expanding its rollout to more bars and restaurants, aiming to negotiate occupancy-based pricing that makes commercial streaming viable. The NBA’s media-rights partners have indicated willingness to explore additional business-focused packages, potentially reducing the reliance on residential subscriptions for public venues. If successful, the solution could restore the traditional bar-watching experience while preserving the league’s multi-platform revenue model.

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