NBA Blackouts Explained

Count every American once for every NBA team they can’t watch and get about 400 million blackouts. In our research appoximately 95% of people are blacked out from at least one team, about 100 million from two or more, and 30 million-plus from a team whose arena is 200 miles away or farther.^[8] Here’s where those lines come from.

Just want your ZIP? Use the NBA blackout lookup.

What a Blackout Actually Is

Every team sells its non-national games to a local carrier whether that’s a regional network, a direct-to-consumer stream, a free over-the-air station, or some mix. That carrier gets exclusivity inside the teams broader territory. NBA League Pass respects it by pulling those games for anyone inside the territory. Nationally televised games are pulled everywhere.^[6] So a blackout isn’t a game you can’t watch. It’s a game you can’t watch on League Pass, because someone else owns it where you live.

The Three Rings

75 miles: one team. The NBA Constitution gives each team a Territory of 75 air miles from its city limits. Where two circles overlap, the overlap is “evenly divided.”^[1] In our data, over 150 million people within 75 miles of exactly one market are blacked out from that market only. Los Angeles and New York are the exceptions, because two teams share each city.

150 miles plus the home state: shared. In 2016 the owners voted unanimously to double marketing territories to 150 miles, plus the whole home state beyond that, as long as it doesn’t cut into another team’s 75.^[2] The league said there was “no TV impact.” True, because TV already worked that way. A 2003 WNBA franchise agreement filed with the SEC defines local television as stations in the home state or within 150 miles, following the standards applied to NBA teams.^[3] Teams still describe their streams in exactly those terms: Louisiana plus 150 miles (Pelicans), Oregon plus 150 miles (BlazerVision), 150 miles of D.C. (Monumental+).^[7]

Beyond that: licensed. TV territories aren’t in the Constitution. Every team TV deal needs league approval,^[1] and the league has controlled telecasts outside all team territories since a 1979 Board of Governors resolution.^[4] That’s where outer-market rights come from. Sinclair renewed them for 16 teams at once in 2022.^[5] This ring is why Kentucky is blacked out from three teams that don’t play there.

The Most Blacked-Out Places in America

Nobody is blacked out from more than four NBA teams. Two places hit four.

• Southwest Oregon (Eagle Point, 97524): Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings, Jazz.
• South Central Valley, California (Hanford, 93230): Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Kings.

Two Teams in Your Own Market

LA and NY are the only major cities with two teams blacked out across the entire market. Everywhere else the 75-mile ring holds and a second team only shows up at the edges. San Francisco and Sacramento are about 75 miles apart, so the two rings split down the middle. The Warriors blackout starts about 35 miles out of Sacramento at Fairfield and covers the last 40 miles of the Kings’ ring, through the Delta and Tracy to Modesto, about 600,000 people. Philadelphia is the same story with New York. The two cities are about 85 miles apart, and the Knicks and Nets take the last 40 miles of the 76ers’ ring, a band from Trenton and Princeton down the Shore to Toms River, about 1.1 million people. Nowhere else does a neighbor reach that far in.

What It Means for You

Inside a territory, that team’s local games live on its local carrier and nowhere else. League Pass won’t show them. The carrier can cost nothing (an antenna, where every local game is over the air) or $170 a season (MSG+ in New York). We priced all 30 in How Much It Costs To Watch Your NBA Team in 2026-27, and the national games in What It Costs to Watch Every NBA Game. Outside every territory, League Pass or a Team Pass covers everything but the national games.

How We Built the Map

We started with what the teams and their carriers publish: every territory statement from each teams website or their regional partners website, to gather everything we could got every team/market. We then sampled that against publicly available league blackout information and against the 75 and 150-mile rules, and corrected where the sources disagreed. Population and ZIP geography are U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTAs and ACS 5-year estimates via the SimpleMaps US ZIP Codes Database. Distances are air miles from the ZIP to the arena. “Blackouts” counts a person once per team. Figures as of October 14, 2026.

Sources

1. NBA, Constitution and By-Laws, June 2024, Article 10 and By-Law 9.01.
2. Sports Business Journal, “NBA teams get more territory,” February 22, 2016.
3. WNBA Membership Agreement (Connecticut Sun), January 28, 2003, SEC Exhibit 10.1, via Justia.
4. Chicago Professional Sports Limited Partnership v. NBA, 754 F. Supp. 1336 (N.D. Ill. 1991).
5. Sinclair Broadcast Group, “Sinclair announces renewal of its extended market and digital rights agreement with the NBA,” 2022.
6. NBA Support, “NBA League Pass Blackout Guide,” updated October 6, 2026.
7. New Orleans Pelicans, Broadcasting; NBA Support, “BlazerVision,” November 4, 2025; Monumental Sports Network, “Monumental+ geo-location restrictions,” April 6, 2026.
8. Entitled Sports blackout dataset, October 14, 2026. U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTAs and ACS 5-year estimates via the SimpleMaps US ZIP Codes Database (CC BY 4.0); publicly available NBA blackout information.
9. Atlanta Hawks: Gray Media, “Gray Media and Atlanta Hawks bring Hawks basketball to millions,” July 16, 2026; Hawks, Hawks on ANF.
10. Boston Celtics: NBCUniversal, “Peacock launches in-market streaming of NBC Sports Boston,” March 18, 2025; Peacock, Regional sports networks.
11. Brooklyn Nets: YES Network direct-to-consumer launch, March 30, 2023 (via Sports Video Group); DAZN Group, “DAZN to be the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of the YES Network and MSG Networks,” July 29, 2026.
12. Charlotte Hornets: Hornets, How to Watch; Hornets, “Charlotte Hornets name DAZN new exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner,” September 17, 2026.
13. Chicago Bulls: Bulls, Chicago Sports Network (coverage map and ZIP check); CHSN, Where to Watch.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers: Rock Entertainment Sports Network, Cavs broadcast; Cavaliers, “Cavaliers and DAZN,” September 1, 2026.
15. Dallas Mavericks: NBA Support, “MavsTV,” updated October 2, 2026; Mavericks, Where to Watch.
16. Denver Nuggets: Altitude Sports, broadcast territory map; Altitude+ Support, “What are the geo-location restrictions for Altitude+?,” December 3, 2025.
17. Detroit Pistons: Scripps, “Detroit Pistons announce new local television media rights agreement with Scripps Sports,” May 13, 2026; Pistons, “Detroit Pistons name DAZN as exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming partner,” September 2026.
18. Golden State Warriors: Peacock, NBC Sports Bay Area; NBCUniversal, “Peacock launches in-market streaming of NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California,” March 18, 2025.
19. Houston Rockets: Rockets, Broadcast Information; SCHN+ Support, geo-restrictions, March 18, 2026.
20. Indiana Pacers: Pacers, Pacers on DAZN (ZIP check); DAZN Group, “Indiana Pacers announce DAZN as new exclusive broadcast partner,” August 20, 2026.
21. LA Clippers: Clippers, “LA Clippers announce 2026-27 television broadcast plan,” October 14, 2026; NBA Support, “ClipperVision,” updated October 5, 2026.
22. Los Angeles Lakers: NBA Support, “Lakers / Spectrum SportsNet,” updated October 7, 2026; Lakers, Spectrum SportsNet+.
23. Memphis Grizzlies: DAZN Group, “Memphis Grizzlies and DAZN announce exclusive broadcast partnership,” September 10, 2026; Grizzlies, Grizzlies on DAZN.
24. Miami Heat: WPLG, “WPLG Local 10 becomes the home of the Miami HEAT,” June 8, 2026; Heat, Where to Watch.
25. Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks, “Milwaukee Bucks to return to full-season over-the-air television,” July 10, 2026 (release text); NBA, Bucks+ (ZIP check).
26. Minnesota Timberwolves: DAZN Group, “Minnesota Timberwolves and DAZN launch new direct-to-fan streaming offering,” July 30, 2026; Timberwolves, “Timberwolves and KARE 11 partner for third straight season,” October 2, 2026.
27. New Orleans Pelicans: Pelicans, Broadcasting; NBA Support, “Pelicans,” updated August 4, 2026.
28. New York Knicks: MSG Networks, About; MSG Networks, DAZN release, July 29, 2026.
29. Oklahoma City Thunder: NBA, Thunder+ (ZIP check); Thunder, broadcast release, August 27, 2026.
30. Orlando Magic: WFTV, “Orlando Magic select WFTV Channel 9, TV 27 as new broadcast home,” August 12, 2026; Magic, Broadcast.
31. Philadelphia 76ers: Peacock, NBC Sports Philadelphia; Peacock, Regional sports networks.
32. Phoenix Suns: Suns, How to Watch; NBA Support, “Suns.”
33. Portland Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers, Watch (county coverage map); NBA Support, “BlazerVision,” November 4, 2025.
34. Sacramento Kings: Peacock, NBC Sports California; NBCUniversal release of March 18, 2025, cited for the Warriors.
35. San Antonio Spurs: DAZN Group, “San Antonio Spurs, DAZN announce exclusive direct-to-consumer media partnership,” September 2, 2026; Spurs, Broadcast.
36. Toronto Raptors: no U.S. blackout territory; Canadian national-broadcast blackouts only, per the NBA League Pass Blackout Guide (source 6).
37. Utah Jazz: SEG Media, “SEG Media expands streaming territory,” October 27, 2025; Jazz, Broadcast Info (territory map and ZIP check); Delta Center, “Utah Jazz expand broadcast territory,” October 24, 2023.
38. Washington Wizards: Monumental Sports & Entertainment, “Monumental Sports Network expands accessibility,” October 1, 2025; Monumental+ geo-location restrictions (source 7).

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