YouTube wants the NBA in streaming: $1.2 billion on the table

The NBA on YouTube could soon become much more than highlights, interviews and on-demand content. The league is reportedly working on a new project to revolutionize the distribution of local games, and YouTube ((recently, LeBron James also launched his own channel) is in pole position to become the streaming home of nearly every NBA franchise.

According to Sports Business Journal, the NBA and YouTube are reportedly in advanced talks on a deal that could be worth up to $1.2 billion, with a potential launch beginning in the 2027-28 season.

The idea is ambitious: create a single digital hub where fans can find local broadcasts from most teams, gradually scaling back a system that is still heavily tied to regional television networks.

NBA on YouTube: up to 29 teams in one hub

The project should launch with at least 20-25 franchises, but the NBA’s goal would ultimately be to reach 29 of 30 teams.

The NBA and YouTube remain in advanced talks for an aggregated hub beginning in the 2027-28 season, initially for 20-25 teams and potentially for 29 of the 30 franchises, with a value that could exceed $1 billion

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The only team almost certain to remain out would be the Toronto Raptors, who are tied to an existing agreement with Rogers Communications.

The figure, however, will depend primarily on how many franchises the NBA can actually bring into the project. With 29 teams, the price tag for YouTube could be around $1.2 billion. With 25 or fewer, the valuation could fall toward $850 million.

The revenue would then be distributed by the NBA to the individual franchises based on the value of their respective markets. Teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks would therefore carry significantly more weight than smaller markets such as Memphis or New Orleans.

One place to watch local NBA games

For the NBA, this would primarily be a way to bring order to an increasingly fragmented landscape (where to watch the NBA in 2026-27).

Today, local games are distributed across regional sports networks, cable packages and different streaming platforms. The goal would be to consolidate everything – or almost everything – into a single service, with games available exclusively within their respective geographic markets.

For fans, it would primarily mean one thing: finally knowing where to find their team without having to jump from one service to another.

Simpler, yes. Not necessarily cheaper.

YouTube would have to recoup the enormous investment through a system of dedicated NBA game subscriptions, while the deal could last around nine years, including an option for five seasons.

A timeline that is anything but random: the expiration would ultimately come close to that of the new $77 billion, 11-year NBA national media rights deal.

Lakers and Knicks are the big question marks

The main issue remains figuring out what some of the league’s biggest markets will do.

The Los Angeles Lakers, for example, are expected to collect around $210 million in local rights revenue for the 2027-28 season through their deal with Spectrum SportsNet. Those numbers make it difficult to envision an immediate move to a centralized system.

The situation is similar for the New York Knicks, who can rely on the significant structure built around MSG.

And it is precisely this uncertainty that is preventing a final agreement, at least for now. The NBA’s goal would be to launch the first year with at least 25 fully integrated teams, potentially allowing other franchises to simultaneously broadcast on the hub before joining the system fully in subsequent years.

YouTube the favorite, but DAZN, ESPN and Amazon are also in the mix

YouTube is currently the clear favorite, but it is not the only interested party. DAZN is also reportedly seriously in the running, although according to reports it would need to put at least $1.4 billion on the table to convince the NBA to choose it over a platform with YouTube’s global reach and distribution.

ESPN and Amazon remain in the background as well, although both are already investing billions of dollars each year in the league’s new national package.

Some in the industry expect a deal or a stalemate as early as the fall. In the latter case, the door could open for DAZN, ESPN or Amazon. For now, however, YouTube remains the favorite

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After completely reshaping its national TV rights, the NBA now appears ready to tackle the second major piece of the puzzle: local games.

And a potential $1.2 billion NBA-YouTube deal would be much more than a new television contract. It would be another sign of the definitive shift of American basketball from traditional regional networks to streaming.