GoKawiilWatching the NBA isn't as simple and straightforward as it once was. We are in the first year of the NBA's new media deal, which has had games showing up on different networks and streaming services this season and into the playoffs. With some games streaming on Prime Video and Peacock and others being broadcast on ABC, NBC and ESPN, it's no longer as easy as flipping between a couple of channels to find a game.
For example, if you turned on your TV this week to watch the play-in tournament, you would not have found any of the games on your regular cable, satellite or live TV streaming service. Instead, you would have needed to know how to navigate your way to Prime Video, which is showing every play-in game.
Xfinity is trying to make watching NBA basketball feel less fragmented and has employed NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey as an Xfinity NBA ambassador in this effort.
I interviewed Maxey about working with Xfinity, growing up in Dallas and which sports he follows besides basketball. I also spoke with Vito Forlenza, vice president of sports entertainment at Comcast, about what Xfinity is doing to make it less of a chore for fans to watch the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Xfinity Sports Zone puts the NBA all in one place
Comcast wants its Xfinity platform to act as a sports hub for its subscribers. Similar to what it did for the Winter Olympics earlier this year, it has set up an Xfinity Sports Zone on that pulls together in one place all of the live and upcoming games for each day of the NBA playoffs. But where Comcast had exclusive rights for the Olympics on NBC and Peacock, it shares NBA rights with Disney (ABC/ESPN) and Amazon (Prime Video). On Xfinity's Sports Zone, you'll not only find the NBA playoff games being broadcast on NBC and Peacock, but you'll also see which games are being shown on ABC, ESPN and Prime Video.
However, you'll need a subscription separate from Xfinity to watch games on Prime Video, but Xfinity displays the day's full lineup, no matter the channel or streaming service.
"The sports landscape is so fragmented, and the NBA with this new deal takes that to another level," Forlenza told me. "How do we make sure that if you are an NBA fan, it's not work for you?"
With Xfinity's NBA Sports Zone, fans will be able to see which games are on which platforms and can customize their view by picking a favorite team. In addition to live and upcoming games, Xfinity's hub will feature game full-game highlights and NBA podcasts along with documentaries, shows, clips and other NBA content on ESPN, NBA TV and elsewhere.
Xfinity's NBA Sports Zone puts all things pro basketball in one place. Xfinity
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