NBA Takes a Page From NFL With Schedule Unveiling

The NBA has unveiled a portion of its 2026-27 regular-season schedule, borrowing strategies from the NFL to boost viewership. The league is focusing on high-profile matchups involving marquee teams like the Knicks, Spurs, and the 76ers, as well as players such as Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James. The initial schedule drop includes games on opening night and Christmas Day, with more showcase and NBA Cup games set to be released later.

This approach mirrors the NFL's recent strategy of heavily promoting top teams and players during the lead-up to their season. While the NBA has used various methods in the past, this year's unveiling closely follows the NFL's lead, which involved multiple high-profile game reveals and a full schedule drop in May. The NBA's schedule is more complex due to the league's larger number of games, but both leagues aim to maximize early-season viewership momentum.

A notable matchup is the NBA's Oct. 20 opening night game between the Celtics and Pistons, followed by a 3 p.m. ET contest that features two of the top Eastern Conference teams. This trend of top sports events moving into weekday broadcast windows has been influenced by the success of events like the FIFA World Cup, as well as recent Nielsen research on out-of-home viewership.