Every NBA streaming option, new Fire TV Stick

Jared Newman   |   October 18, 2024

Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, and this is Cord Cutter Weekly, my newsletter on how to save money on TV and make the most of streaming.

Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up to get it in your own inbox.

This week on TechHive: NBA streaming options in one chart

Markus Spiske / Unsplash

Just like with hockey and baseball, your options for watching local NBA games this year can vary drastically based on where you live.

In 2024, there are 23 NBA teams with standalone streaming options, allowing you to watch in-market games without an expensive pay TV package. Six NBA teams are also broadcasting local games over the air, so you can watch for free with an antenna.

Meanwhile, a handful of pay TV holdouts remain. In five cities—primarily those served by regional NBC Sports networks—your only legal option is to sign up for a bloated bundle.

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone provided a single page on which to look up your local NBA team and see what you needed to watch in-market games without cable for the 2024-2025 season? That is precisely the service I am providing.

Read the full column on TechHive →

(If you missed it, here’s a similar resource for this season’s NHL coverage.)

Weekly rewind

New Fire TV Stick: Amazon is consolidating the lower end of its Fire TV lineup with the $35 Fire TV Stick HD. It replaces both the $30 Fire TV Stick Lite and $40 Fire TV Stick, and its remote includes TV volume and power controls (the old Lite, notably, did not), but it’s also a performance downgrade with just 1 GB of RAM, versus 2 GB on both earlier models and it has the same 1 GB of RAM as earlier models.

Given how often Amazon discounts its Fire TV devices, you may just be better off waiting for a sale on the Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max instead.

More MNF on ABC: ESPN will simulcast six more Monday Night Football games on ABC this season, for a grand total of 17 Monday games that you can watch for free with an antenna. The only games that still require ESPN are on November 11 (Texans vs. Cowboys) and December 2 (Browns vs. Broncos), though both games will be available locally over-the-air for folks who live in either city.

ABC had every Monday Night Football game last season to compensate for the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, but this move appears to be strictly about ratings. Turns out more people watch the games when they’re not bound to expensive pay TV packages.

Apple TV+ on Amazon: Apple TV+ is now available through Amazon’s subscription marketplace for Prime subscribers. It’s the same price at $10 per month, but allows you to watch Apple’s original programming through Amazon’s Prime Video app and manage your subscription through Amazon’s billing system. It also comes with a seven-day trial.

It’s a surprising move given that Apple also offers its own subscription marketplace (yes, there are too many subscription marketplaces) and presumably wants to spending to happen on its own platform, but working with Amazon is a quick-and-dirty way to put its service in front of more people. The arrangement is also notable for Android users, because the regular Apple TV+ app still isn’t available on Android phones and tablets. Subscribing via Prime provides a workaround.

More catch-up

Save more money

Hulu + Live TV is having a rare sale, bringing the price to $60 per month for three months. The deal is available for both new and returning subscribers, and gives you a big bundle of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels. It also includes Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu’s on-demand catalog at no extra charge.

Note that Hulu just raised prices (as did Disney+ and ESPN+), so the regular rate of $83 per month applies after the promo period. The sale ends on November 19.

Other notable deals:

Thanks for reading!

Got cord cutting questions for me? Just reply to this email to get in touch.

Until next week,
Jared