So, you’re trying to figure out the Celtics game how to watch situation for tonight, and honestly, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. If you’ve been a fan for a while, you remember when life was simple: you turned on a TV, found the local sports channel, and that was that. Now? We have a new media rights deal that kicked in for the 2025-26 season, and it’s basically turned into a scavenger hunt across four different streaming apps and a handful of cable networks.
Tonight, Saturday, January 17, 2026, the Celtics are down in Atlanta taking on the Hawks at State Farm Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. If you’re in the Boston area, your main lifeline is still NBC Sports Boston. But if you’re trying to stream it or you’re living outside New England, things get a little “choose your own adventure.”
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The Local Struggle: NBC Sports Boston and Peacock
For those of us living in the 617 or anywhere in New England, NBC Sports Boston is still the king of the regular season. They handle the vast majority of games. But there's a new twist this season. NBC has integrated their regional sports networks (RSNs) into Peacock.
Basically, if you’re a cord-cutter and you live in the Boston market, you can now add NBC Sports Boston directly to a Peacock subscription. It’s a monthly add-on—usually about $15 on top of your base Peacock plan. It’s actually pretty convenient because you don’t need a massive $80/month cable bundle just to see Jayson Tatum hit a step-back three. You just have to make sure your zip code is verified so they know you’re actually in the local territory.
What About the National Games?
This is where people usually get tripped up. The NBA’s new TV deal means games are scattered more than ever. This season, you’ve got:
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- ABC and ESPN: Still the home for the big weekend showcases and Wednesday night doubleheaders.
- NBC and Peacock: Aside from the local stuff, NBC is back in the national NBA game. They have big Sunday night matchups and some exclusive Peacock-only games.
- Amazon Prime Video: Yeah, the "Thursday Night Football" people now have a piece of the NBA. They have exclusive games, including several Celtics matchups and the NBA Cup.
- NBA TV: This usually just simulcasts a local feed, but it's still a factor for some midweek games.
Tonight’s game against the Hawks isn't a national exclusive, so it’s primarily on NBCS-BOS (for Celtics fans) and FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (for the Atlanta folks). If you have YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or Fubo, you’re mostly set as long as they carry your local NBC regional.
The Out-of-Market Dilemma
If you’re a Celtics fan living in, say, Chicago or Los Angeles, NBA League Pass is your best friend—with a major catch. League Pass is great for watching every game that isn't on national TV or featuring your local team. Since tonight's game is a local broadcast for both Boston and Atlanta, it’ll be live on League Pass for anyone outside those two markets.
If the game was on ABC or ESPN tonight, League Pass would be useless for live viewing. You’d have to wait until the replay is uploaded.
The Technical "Fix" (VPNs and Blackouts)
We’ve all seen the message: "This content is not available in your area." It's the worst. Blackouts exist because local networks pay huge money for exclusive rights to show games in their territory. They want you watching their commercials, not the national feed.
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Some fans use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to get around this. By changing your IP address to a city outside the blackout zone, you can sometimes trick League Pass or a streaming service into thinking you're elsewhere. Services like NordVPN or ExpressVPN are the go-tos for this, though the streaming apps are constantly getting better at blocking them. It's a bit of a cat-and-mouse game.
Summary of Tonight's Viewing Info
- Matchup: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
- Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Local TV: NBC Sports Boston
- Streaming (Local): Peacock (with RSN add-on), Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV
- Streaming (Out-of-Market): NBA League Pass
How to Actually Watch Without a Headache
If you want the most reliable experience for the rest of the season, here is what you need to do. First, check your "home" territory. If you’re in New England, get a streaming service that includes NBC Sports Boston. Fubo and YouTube TV are usually the most consistent. If you want to go cheaper, the Peacock add-on is the way to go.
If you’re outside New England, just bite the bullet and get NBA League Pass. It’s about $110 for the full season at this point, or you can do a monthly sub. Just remember that it won't help you for those high-profile games on ABC or Amazon Prime. For those, you'll need the specific apps.
To get ready for tonight, log into your Peacock or YouTube TV account at least 15 minutes before tip-off to ensure your location services are working correctly and your subscription hasn't lapsed. If you're using League Pass, verify that your device is not being flagged for a "Regional Blackout" by checking the NBA's zip code tool on their support page.