Time for the OKC Thunder to tip off the season.
Ready, Thunder fans?
Of course you are. Who among us doesn’t want to inject some Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren into their lives?
Still, if you’ve been following the offseason moves involving the team's TV broadcasts, you know watching the Thunder isn’t as simple as sitting down and flipping on your telly. Fox Sports Oklahoma is like Johan Petro and Robert Swift — long gone.
But that doesn’t mean watching the Thunder is impossible. You just have to plan a bit.
With that in mind, here are answers to a few questions that you might be asking.
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What if I want to watch every Thunder game on TV?
If you have DirecTV, DirecTV Stream or Spectrum Cable (formerly Cox Cable), you’ll also need Peacock and Prime. There are a total of five games exclusive to those two streamers, including a run of games in February that include the Spurs, Sixers and Knicks. Without subscriptions to those streaming services, as well, you won’t be able to see all 82 regular-season games.
If you have Fubo, you’ll need Prime, too. Fubo carries NBC Sports Network, which will also carry the Peacock games. But you’ll need Prime to see the four games that are exclusive to it.
If you only have a Thunder+ subscription, you’ll also need Peacock, ESPN+ and Prime. Peacock will give access to exclusive games on both NBC and Peacock, while ESPN+ will have the ESPN and ABC games.
What if I want to watch as many Thunder games as possible but can only subscribe to one provider?
Having Fubo gives you the most bang for the buck, leaving you only four games on Prime that you can’t see.
But DirecTV, DirecTV Stream or Spectrum aren’t bad options either. Each would give you access to all the locally broadcast games on Thunder+ through the NBA app or KSBI-52, plus the exclusive games on ABC, NBC and ESPN. You would only miss out on five exclusive games: four on Prime and one on Peacock.
What if I only have an antenna and want to watch Thunder games?
You’ll get to see 24 games, almost a third of the season. And the games would be some of the most marquee matchups on the Thunder schedule, including opening night in San Antonio (NBC), a Halloween night thriller at Houston (KWTV-9) and Christmas Day at Minnesota (ABC).
What if I get my TV through a streaming service like YouTubeTV or Hulu?
You can watch as few as 20 games and as many as 26, depending on the channels available through your service. NBC Sports Network has two games while KWTV-9 has four broadcasts, so check to make sure what channels your provider has. But all of the games on ABC, NBC and ESPN, a combined total of 20, will be available.
If I subscribe to Thunder+, will I see all the games?
No.
A Thunder+ subscription will allow you to stream 67 games, but the other 15 games on the Thunder schedule are exclusive to national broadcasters such as ESPN, ABC, NBC, Peacock and Prime. Those games will only be available on those channels or streamers, and they will not be available through a Thunder+ subscription.
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If I subscribe to NBA League Pass, will I get Thunder+ games?
No.
These are different subscriptions, and if you want to see Thunder games, you want access to Thunder+. NBA League Pass will give you access to other teams’ games, but not the Thunder’s.
Additionally, you don’t need an NBA League Pass subscription to get Thunder+.
What channel are the Thunder games on?
Many Thunder fans in Oklahoma are likely to have DirecTV or Spectrum, so for the locally broadcast games on KSBI, keep these numbers in mind:
DirecTV: Channel 52.
Spectrum: Channel 7.
Is the local broadcast of Thunder games available on other local providers?
KSBI in OKC and KQCW-19 in Tulsa will broadcast 67 regular-season Thunder games that aren’t exclusive to national networks such as NBC or ESPN. In addition to DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, Spectrum and Fubo, those games can be seen through the following providers: Carnegie Cable, Hinton Cable, OEC Fiber, Pioneer Cable, UVerse and Vyve Broadband.
What if I don’t want to mess with Thunder TV broadcasts?
Radio broadcasts are available. You can hear every game on the Sports Animal, WWLS-98.1 FM, and for home games, a Spanish-language broadcast will be on WKY-930 AM.
Here’s the truth, Thunder fans: Watching your team isn’t easy. It requires planning to make sure you can see the games you want to see, as well as an understanding of what you have, what you want and what you need.
The Thunder has to scout and prepare for games, and now, its fans must do the same.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: A complete guide on how to watch OKC Thunder in 2026-27 NBA season