The NBA League Pass is the NBA’s version of an online streaming service. The service was, believe it or not, made available before the 1995-96 season. The pass is available to primarily viewers in the US, but there is also an international package for a couple of other countries. However, the pricing structure and the services offered are slightly different depending on where you’re located. Many viewers within the United States can be blacked out for certain games, but those games can later be streamed once the live broadcast is over. Even though many people have complained about the blackout mainly because it’s the home team’s games that are blacked out. That said the NBA Game Pass still happens to be one of the best services out there with a tonne of on season and pre-season games available to subscribers.
What Does the NBA Game Pass get You as far as Streaming?
Subscribers to the NBA League Pass get access to all the out of market games. Subscribers can stream up to 40 out of market NBA games each week. Turner Broadcasting System operates the service which is why the videos of the games are sourced from regional sports channels and stations. That said there are three types of league passes the first is the NBA League Pass TV, for people who have a television and want to watch the games via their cable service provider or satellite provider. Then you have the NBA League Pass Broadband which is something people reading this article will want to use. The services uses your broadband connection to stream games to your computer. Finally, the NBA League Pass Mobile is meant for mainly mobile devices like your smartphone and 4G enabled tablets.
How Much Does the NBA League Pass Cost?
The NBA League Pass starts at $199.99 a year or $44.99 a month. The pass gives you access to games played by all teams and even their audio streams. So, you can listen to commentary on the go! The other is called the NBA Team Pass and starts at $119.99 a year or $26.99 a month. The service gives you streaming access to just one team of your choice, for instance, you can choose to stream only all the Chicago Bulls games. Finally, you’ve got the single game pass which costs $6.99. The package allows you to stream just one game for the price.
How Does the NBA League Pass Work?
You will need to start with creating an NBA account. Once your account is created, choose the package you want and enter your billing details, then your credit card information. After filling out a pretty long form, you’re sent a confirmation email, hit the link on the email, and you can start streaming. If you choose the monthly payment plan, make sure that you have enough money for at least three consecutive months because if you don’t, then you will get into trouble with the NBA.
Is the NBA Game Pass Worth it?
If you are solely an NBA fan and all you want in life is to watch or listen to everything NBA, then yes it’s worth it. But if you are like most regular people who also watch the NFL, MLB, etc. then you’ll need passes for those leagues too, the expense of which quickly adds up. So, a service like Sling TV or the PlayStation Vue will make a lot more sense.