I’m not a cord-cutter, yet — the economics of internet-only packages still don’t make sense — and I, like you (probably), abhor the fragmentation of sports that has exploded through streaming. The extraneous subscriptions required, never quite knowing what game will be on where, and sometimes even getting subpar presentations of games and matches — I’m looking at you here, Netflix — feels like the opposite of having died and gone to sports heaven, which was the original sales pitch for ESPN. That’s ESPN, the linear cable channel, not ESPN+ and not the new ESPN app.
But I must say, my experience streaming these NBA Playoffs has actually been pretty great — especially when you remember the 2025-26 season has been the first on both Amazon’s Prime Video and Peacock.
Sure, it kind of sucks when you already pay for cable and also have to pay for something like Prime Video to catch a conference semi-finals series. (NBC would be in your linear-TV package in this scenario, so Peacock is a choice here.) But if there is one streaming video service worth paying for, it is Amazon’s — if not for the programming, but for the free, two-day retail shipping that alone is worth the price of admission. Complaints about needing “another streaming service” to watch Prime Video’s NBA package don’t land as strongly as others.
