The 2026 SoFi Play-In Tournament opened Tuesday night with two close finishes. The Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime after LaMelo Ball hit a layup with 4.7 seconds left.
Out West, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 114-110. Deni Avdija led the way with a career-high 41 points, including a tie-breaking and-1 layup with 16.1 seconds remaining.
While the games provided plenty of showstopping highlights and monster dunks, a shift in how fans watch the postseason is causing frustration. Under the NBA’s new 11-year, $77 billion media rights deal with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, the entire Play-In Tournament and the first round of the playoffs are now exclusive to national broadcasts.
Local regional sports networks (RSNs) no longer carry these games, so fans have to ditch their usual team announcers for national feeds on platforms like ESPN, NBC, or Prime Video.
For the first time, NBA playoff games are skipping local networks. The Play-In Tournament is only on Prime Video, while the first round is split between Prime, NBC, and ESPN. No simulcasts and no local crews are calling the games.
Now that the regular season is over, fans are feeling the loss. People who spent months listening to local announcers who know their team's history and quirks are stuck with national broadcasts that lack that specific perspective. During his final regular-season broadcast on Sunday, legendary announcer Mike Breen did indeed criticize the move.
While reading a promo for post-game coverage, he stated, "I personally think it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their teams’ announcers, at least in the first round. Because, for so many of us... the home team announcers become part of the family."
National TV coverage means less focus on single teams, more switching apps to follow games, and no local announcers who made rooting feel personal. While the league sees record revenue from its new $76 billion deal, local fans are losing the connection they’ve built over 82 regular-season games.
To catch the hardwood action now with zero hassle, fans have to juggle multiple paywalls that can cost over $50 a month. Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive home for all six Play-In games.
Then folks have to pay for ESPN/ABC and NBC/Peacock access for the rest of the early slate. With no local broadcasts allowed to show the postseason for the first time in history, these subscriptions are now the only way to watch.
