Don’t have cable? This article will explain how you can stream the next Lakers game and every Los Angeles Lakers game this season, no matter where you live.
Watch Every Lakers Game This Season
- Los Angeles Lakers TV Market: Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California, including the San Diego, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara markets, as well as Southern Nevada and Hawaii
- Best Solution when inside their TV Market: Watch most games on Spectrum SportsNet through the DIRECTV STREAM streaming service (sign up online). Around 10 games this year will air on TNT, ABC, or ESPN. However, DIRECTV STREAM carries all of those channels as well.
- Best Solution when living Outside the Lakers TV Market: Watch nearly all Lakers games on NBA League Pass (sign up online). The Lakers have a few nationally televised games on ESPN, ABC, and TNT. For those networks, you could use DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV.
- Sling TV could be an option for some. Sling Orange provides ESPN and TNT. But, if you subscribe to both the Blue and Orange package at $55 per month, you get ABC if you live in the broadcast range of the following stations: WABC-TV in New York, KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTRK-TV in Houston, WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham and KFSN-TV in Fresno. Please note that Sling TV charges an extra $5 per month broadcast fee if you live in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia or San Francisco.
What Channel Are The Lakers On
Where you can watch the Los Angeles Lakers depends on whether or not you live inside the Los Angeles Lakers TV market (Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California, including the San Diego, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara markets, as well as Southern Nevada and Hawaii). If you live inside that market, you can watch Lakers games on Spectrum SportsNet using a streaming service that carries the network. However, if you live outside that market, you will need a subscription to NBA League Pass, and a streaming service that carries ESPN, ABC, TNT, and NBA TV. Let’s take a look at your options based on where you live.
Watching Lakers Games In-Market
If you live in the Lakers TV market, you can watch the Lakers on Spectrum SportsNet, the Lakers regional sports network. If you live in the Lakers broadcast areas, you can watch their regional sports network without cable on the following streaming services.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live streaming service that carries Spectrum SportsNet for those living in their broadcast region. However, you must subscribe to their “Choice” package for $108.99 per month. You can sign up online. They don’t force you into a contract, and you can cancel at any time. DIRECTV STREAM also carries ESPN, NBA TV, ABC, and TNT, which are all the networks that air nationally televised NBA games.
The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
Watching Lakers Games Outside of Their TV Market
If you live outside the Lakers market, then most games will be available with a subscription to NBA League Pass. The exception is Lakers games nationally broadcast on ESPN, ABC and TNT. To watch those games, you need a streaming service that carries those channels; like DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV. I cover these services below.
NBA League Pass
To watch most Lakers games if you live outside the Los Angeles market, you will need NBA League Pass. NBA League Pass will show every Lakers game that isn’t exclusively airing nationally on ESPN, ABC, or TNT. NBA League Pass also provides access to NBA TV, so you are covered when they broadcast the occasional Lakers game.
NBA League Pass provides three ways to subscribe:
- Team Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Los Angeles Lakers for $13.99 per month or $89.99 per year.
- League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Los Angeles Lakers and every other team for $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Premium League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for every team for $22.99 per month or $149.99 per year. (commercial-free)
Keep in mind that there are blackout rules in effect. Games won’t be aired live if:
- They are being broadcast on ESPN, ABC, or TNT. (NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League pass.
- They are being broadcast where you live on the regional sports network’s broadcast area that owns the rights to air NBA games in your area. You will need a streaming service that carries your regional sports network like DIRECTV STREAM (sign up), to watch those games.
Lakers Games on ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT.
DIRECTV STREAM and YouTube TV carries TNT, ABC, NBA TV, and ESPN. However, NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League Pass. Therefore, if you have League Pass your options also include Hulu Live TV, as they carry ABC, TNT, and ESPN. One of those services in addition to a subscription to NBA League Pass will provide live access to every Lakers game if you live outside their TV market.
DIRECTV STREAM Choice includes TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV and costs $108.99 per month. You can take advantage of their 5-day free trial. and they don’t force you into a contract, so you can cancel at any time. The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
YouTube TV also provides ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT in their base package for $72.99 per month if you live in their broadcast area. The live streaming service also includes a DVR and supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. Like the other services, YouTube TV offers a free trial, cloud DVR, local broadcast channels, and many other features. Please read our review of YouTube TV for more details on their service.
Hulu Live TV costs $76.99 per month. After you sign up, the service provides ESPN, TNT, and ABC so you can watch nationally televised NBA games. You pay month to month with no contract and can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The base price includes a cloud DVR and the ability to stream on two devices at once, but the option to upgrade to unlimited streams. Hulu Live TV includes Hulu streaming library. (see our review of Hulu Live TV)
