A couple of weeks ago, a friend I hadn’t seen in a while was visiting Chicago. We decided to go to a bar, get something to eat, catch up and watch Game 3 of the Celtics-76ers series.
As we walked in, I noticed MLB, the NHL and the NFL Draft were all being shown on TVs, but during the first round of the playoffs, no NBA. We asked about our game. The bartender shrugged. Turns out, you could get a bucket of beer, but pro buckets weren’t on the restaurant’s viewing menu.
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Instead of leaving, we decided to order a couple of drinks. My friend pulled up the game on his phone and propped it up on the bar. In 2026, we were streaming a pro league’s playoff game on an iPhone. It didn’t occur to us that we needed to consider the changes to the league’s broadcast partners when we were deciding which bar to go to.
After a couple of appetizers and a round of drinks, I couldn’t take watching the game on a small screen. We decided to walk around the neighborhood to look for somewhere else to catch the NBA on TV in public.
We passed bar after bar, all crowded because people were out enjoying the warmish weather, but none were showing the NBA playoffs. Sure, the Bulls weren’t playing this time of year and haven’t in quite some time, but the Blackhawks weren’t playing either, yet there was playoff hockey on. Besides, it’s postseason hoops! I thought it would be on somewhere.
I couldn’t help but wonder: Were bars not interested in showing the games? Or, were they unable to?
So I set out to investigate.
This season, the NBA aired games on multiple networks and platforms, including ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC/Peacock. Prime Video streamed 66 regular-season games, the NBA Cup and approximately one-third of the playoffs. NBCUniversal aired 100 regular-season games across NBC and Peacock (NBC’s streaming platform), including Sunday night games, plus playoff coverage. The 11-year media rights deal will net the NBA $77 billion.
The league saw high viewership during the regular season, and announced the first round of this postseason (through April 27) had its highest viewership in 33 years, with an average of 3.91 million viewers per game. Imagine how much larger the audience could be if those Prime games were widely available in bars and restaurants.
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In fact, recent adjustments to Nielsen’s system for measuring TV ratings to capture more “out of home” viewing (like bars) has directly impacted all the recent headlines about record-breaking TV ratings across sports.
The first four games of the Sixers-Knicks second-round playoff series are scheduled to appear on four different networks and streaming platforms: ABC, ESPN, NBC and Peacock. (After the conference semifinals end, all games will be on NBC, ABC or ESPN.)
While I enjoy watching some games from the comfort of my sofa, there’s nothing like hanging out with a bunch of people, enjoying some food and drinks, and collectively yelling at the TV hanging in the bar.
So the idea that for one of the most important parts of the season I’d have to do the extra work of looking on social media to see if any bars posted about showing the games, in addition to checking what platform they’re being shown on, is kind of … frustrating.
With this new world of sports streaming across various leagues, access to live entertainment is fragmented, difficult and confusing not only for fans but also for business owners. Bars and restaurants cannot sign up for residential streaming products. A proprietor can’t just connect their Apple TV, Roku or any other device, log in and show games in a bar or restaurant.
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Because the business is using the account to enhance where they make money, they’re responsible for acquiring commercial licensing to air live sporting events. Many bars have cable or DirecTV, which gives them access to most events. The cost of the package depends on the size of the business, typically determined by the fire code occupancy. Businesses caught stealing content can be fined for doing so. Often, an owner will opt to go without, which means fans end up like me, watching an NBA game on an iPhone at the bar.
Enter EverPass media.
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Launched in 2023, EverPass looks to deliver sports streaming to commercial establishments. Owned by the NFL, RedBird Capital Partners and TKO Group Holdings (parent company of UFC and WWE), the company started as the only business-to-business distributor for NFL Sunday Ticket. They have since expanded to include an exclusive deal with NBC’s Peacock, Apple TV, ESPN+ for Business, NFL Sunday Ticket, Paramount+ and Prime Video. EverPass has also streamed the NFL’s Netflix-only content, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. That covers virtually every streaming platform that has acquired exclusive rights to major live sports.
“They need a legal way to stream this content,” CEO Alex Kaplan told The Athletic. “You need to give it to them in a productized way that’s built for business, because it’s not the same thing as residential and that’s why we’re here.
“We’re making huge progress and growing like crazy, but we don’t have everyone yet, and we need to keep communicating so we stay in the forefront of the commercial market. We know that making the transition to streaming isn’t always easy, but we’re trying to make it easier, and we’re trying to make sure that we empower them to do it the right way and legally.”
The pivot to streaming-exclusive games across multiple networks means a user has to go in and out of different apps just to get access to various things. On top of the other costs of running a business, multiple applications with licensing would not only be expensive, but would also prove cumbersome for someone trying to serve customers while a game is on.
“The streaming landscape is confusing, and we’re built to fix that confusion,” Kaplan said. “But we’re in the middle of that education process.”
Since EverPass won’t give a business access to network television and various cable networks, that business still needs a cable or satellite subscription. But establishments need to know that EverPass exists, how it works and how to get it.
While the infrastructure seems to be in place for bars and restaurants to show games, making commercial agreements is not the end of making sure the games are accessible. Leagues have to see how the spread of games across networks can lose some people, or at least fail to connect with casual fans who might engage by happenstance.
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When it comes to community and bonding, watching the game with other fans is unmatched, regardless of how you participate. It’s a major part of the experience. So for Game 7 of the Celtics-76ers’ first-round series, I decided to once again try a bar.
“It’s on NBC, so it has to be on this time!” I thought. As my friend and I approached the entrance, there was that familiar sound of a loud, packed bar with our NBA game on. We spotted the only two empty seats and slid into them. The people around us immediately started chatting us up. It was exactly how it was supposed to be.
As a former bar regular who was part of a sports community because we all congregated at our local watering hole, I love to pop into a bar or pub anywhere in the world and catch a game. It doesn’t matter what sport or what country. I’ve made some of my best friends through the bonds formed when we watched our favorite teams week to week. Huddling around a phone robs us of that experience.
But, right now, with leagues adding streaming-only platforms such as Peacock and Amazon Prime Video as their broadcast partners, that kind of community in fandom feels like it’s in jeopardy.