How to Watch LeBron and the Sixers Without Cable (2026-27)
Disclosure: Household Advocate is an independent bill review service and is not affiliated with any internet, cable, or phone provider mentioned in this post. We do not receive compensation from any provider. Our only goal is to help you find savings.
LeBron James in a Sixers uniform. Jaylen Brown next to him. Embiid and Maxey still here. This is the most anticipated Sixers season in a long time, and it starts Tuesday, October 20, in New York.
If you've read our Eagles post, you know how that one goes: buy an antenna, watch nearly everything free. We'd love to tell you the Sixers work the same way. They don't, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
The honest version
An antenna gets you 13 Sixers games this season. The rest need a paid service of some kind. The good news is that "paid service" no longer has to mean a $150 cable package.
Where the games are
The Sixers have 34 nationally televised games this year, the most the league allows. Here's how the season splits:
NBC (8 games) and ABC (5 games): free with an antenna
ESPN (8 games): cable channel
Amazon Prime Video (10 games): streaming only
Peacock (3 games): streaming only
NBC Sports Philadelphia: everything else, which is more than half the season. An antenna does not pick it up.
The free games worth circling
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. - at Knicks, NBC. LeBron's first game as a Sixer.
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8:00 p.m. - vs. Celtics, NBC. Jaylen Brown against his old team.
Friday, Dec. 25, 5:00 p.m. - at Lakers, ABC. LeBron against his old team, on Christmas.
One heads-up: the home opener on Thursday, Oct. 22 against Cleveland is on ESPN, not a free channel.
Three ways to get the rest
1. Peacock plus the NBC Sports Philadelphia add-on - about $38 a month. Peacock Premium is $12.99 a month, and the NBC Sports Philadelphia add-on is $24.95 on top of that. Together they cover every local Sixers game plus every game on NBC and Peacock. There's no contract, so you can cancel when the season ends. You do have to live in the Philadelphia TV market. For most fans, this is the cheapest way to watch most of the season. This is what I do and it works for the Phillies too (if they’re even worth watching next season). Sometimes you can find a deal for Peacock.
2. YouTube TV's Sports plan - $64.99 a month. It includes NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN, NBC, and ABC, which covers everything except the 10 Prime Video games. This makes sense if you also want ESPN for college football or other sports.
3. Keep cable, but stop overpaying for it. If someone in your house watches the Sixers, Phillies, and Flyers most nights and has no interest in learning a new remote, staying put can be the right call. That doesn't mean the bill is right.
What about the ESPN and Prime games?
If you go with option 1, you'll be missing the 8 ESPN games and the 10 on Prime Video. For ESPN, Sling sells a Day Pass for $4.99 that covers 24 hours, so you can buy the games you care about one at a time. Prime Video games are included if you already have Amazon Prime.
Setting this up for Mom or Dad?
Start with what they'd actually miss. If it's a handful of big games, an antenna covers opening night and Christmas for nothing. If it's every game, option 1 runs on the smart TV or streaming stick they may already own. And if cable is staying, it's still worth a look at what they're paying for it. Start at householdadvocate.com/help-a-parent.
Quick cheat sheet
Games on NBC or ABC: Antenna, free
Local games (NBC Sports Philadelphia): Peacock add-on or YouTube TV Sports
ESPN games: Sling Day Pass, or included with YouTube TV Sports
Prime Video games: Amazon Prime
The bigger point
You don't need a full cable package to follow this team. If you're paying $150 or more a month mostly to watch Philly sports, there's a good chance you're paying for a lot you don't use. That's what we do at Household Advocate: we look at what you actually watch and what you're actually paying, and show you where the savings are. The review is free.
