Apple and Spectrum SportsNet will partner to stream select Los Angeles Lakers games on the Apple Vision Pro. The collaboration begins during the 2025‑2026 NBA season, using Apple’s Immersive Video format to deliver the broadcasts to headset owners.
The games will be filmed utilizing Apple’s Immersive Video, a virtual reality-friendly filming style previously employed for a Metallica concert film released earlier this year. According to Apple, this technology will showcase “perspectives impossible to capture in traditional broadcasts.” Access to the live broadcasts will be restricted to Vision Pro owners residing within the Lakers’ designated regional broadcast territory, which encompasses Southern California, Hawaii, and parts of southern Nevada. Viewing the live games will likely require a subscription. Following the live events, full game replays and highlights are set to be made available in select countries and regions through both the SportsNet and NBA applications.
A specific schedule of the games to be streamed has not yet been released. Apple and Spectrum SportsNet have indicated they will announce final plans in the fall, with the initial immersive games anticipated for streaming in early 2026. This development addresses a gap in programming for the Vision Pro, a device noted for its media consumption capabilities but which has had sparse sports content specifically designed to leverage its immersive features. While Apple already provides access to other sports, including Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, the NBA is the only mainstream sports league providing an experience specifically for the Vision Pro headset.
The current NBA visionOS application already incorporates several features tailored for the device. Users can display real‑time player statistics during games, stream multiple games at once in a multiview configuration, and engage with a tabletop view of games. This tabletop mode projects a three-dimensional court with miniature players, offering an alternative viewing perspective. This new Lakers partnership expands upon that existing framework by introducing live, specially filmed game broadcasts. This content initiative for existing Vision Pro owners occurs amid reports that Apple is prioritizing the development of smart glasses over a lighter, less expensive version of the Vision Pro.
