Spurs playoff games are being split between TV and streaming services, frustrating fans and forcing sports bars to upgrade. Stout House has already made their own.
SAN ANTONIO — Spurs fans trying to watch the team’s playoff run may need more than a remote and a cable subscription.
Playoff games that fans would expect to find on traditional TV are now showing up exclusively on streaming platforms, including Peacock and Prime Video. For viewers, that can mean another subscription. For sports bars, it can mean thousands of dollars in equipment upgrades.
The shift is part of the NBA’s new national media rights deal, which was announced in 2024 and began with the 2025-26 season. The 11-year agreement runs through the 2035-36 season and splits national NBA games among Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon. That means playoff games can now appear across ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock and Prime Video.
The change has led to a complicated viewing experience for NBA fans, including diehard Spurs fans that just wanted to watch their team on TV.
The Spurs’ second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves opened Monday with Game 1 on Peacock and NBCSN. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday on ESPN. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday on Prime Video. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday on NBC and Peacock. Games 5, 6 and 7, if necessary, are still listed as to be determined by the NBA.
That follows a first-round series in which Spurs games were also split among multiple platforms.
For a regular viewer, the cost can add up. Peacock Premium costs $10.99 per month, plus tax, or $109.99 per year, according to Peacock. A full Amazon Prime membership, which includes Prime Video, costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year.
That is frustrating for fans who do not already subscribe to those services. It is also creating problems for sports bars that are used to showing games through cable systems.
“It’s a big problem,” said Doug Ackerly, owner of Stout House.
Ackerly said Peacock has been a particular challenge because it is not compatible with the typical bar cable system his business uses through DirecTV. To show Peacock games, he said, Stout House needs a separate network that allows the business to use streaming services.
He said the setup costs more than $5,000 per store and connects to another service with an EverPass box. He also said those services come with additional fees based on bas occupancy limits.
“Stout House Stone Oak has it. Stout House Grayson has it,” Ackerly said. “I haven’t gotten it to the rest of them because it’s an $8,000 to $10,000 upgrade.”
That is a major expense for games that may only appear on a streaming platform once or twice a week. But with the Spurs in the playoffs and streaming games now part of the NBA schedule, Ackerly said he is preparing for the future.
“We are going to bite the bullet and upgrade all of our locations,” he said.
Prime Video may be less of a problem for some bars. Ackerly said Stout House can access Prime Video through DirecTV, which means Friday’s Spurs game on Prime should be easier for his locations to show.
“Prime is good to go,” Ackerly said. “Most all the bars in the city should be good to go for Game 3.”
The bottom line for Spurs fans: Check where each game is airing before paying for a new subscription. Depending on the game, viewers may be able to watch through a traditional TV channel, a streaming service or at a sports bar that already has access.