Apple and Spectrum are teaming up to stream select Lakers basketball games live for owners of Apple’s expensive Vision Pro headset during the upcoming NBA season. It feels like a genuine test of where immersive entertainment and VR headsets can go next.
This is the first time a major US sports league is committing to regular live broadcasts in Apple’s immersive format, and it could prove a meaningful moment for the long-term relevance of Apple’s $3,499 device. Watching basketball from a courtside perspective, with cameras positioned at floor level and under each hoop, promises an entirely different sense of presence compared to a traditional broadcast.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
How will livestreaming NBA games to the Vision Pro work?
Charter Communications announced the partnership this week, saying that its Spectrum SportsNet will power the live immersive streams for Lakers fans through a new SportsNet app. But the technical execution here matters as much as the idea.
Apple and Spectrum say these games will stream at up to 150Mbps, with a replay window of three days after each live broadcast. Spectrum’s new app will also host the live feed for viewers within the Lakers’ regional market, while the NBA app will distribute replays and highlights internationally. Supported countries include the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
Each stream will rely on custom Blackmagic Ursa Cine Immersive rigs, which capture 3D video calibrated for the Vision Pro’s optics. They’ll be filmed and broadcast in Apple’s custom Immersive format, which is designed for virtual reality content — it’s already been used in the making of a number of short films.
As someone who owns a Vision Pro, I can’t help but feel this is the kind of partnership the device has been waiting for. The headset has always felt technically astonishing, but searching for a purpose. Live sports — something that thrives on immediacy and emotion — might finally be where it makes sense.
CNET’s VR/AR expert, Scott Stein, describes the Apple Vision Pro as «a bleeding-edge tech showcase and the most advanced standalone VR/AR headset in existence,» but also cautioned that «the price will never appeal to any regular person I know.»
While immersive Lakers games could make the Vision Pro more interesting, they won’t suddenly make it affordable. Apple still needs a stronger argument for why regular people should invest in such a costly device beyond its novelty and design credentials.
Analyst Max Weinbach from Creative Strategies describes the Lakers deal as «a step towards fulfilling the promise of XR platforms for entertainment, real-time immersive live sports,» even if it doesn’t move the needle for sales of the headset.
He sees it as «a great deal for the Lakers, one of the most popular NBA teams, to pilot the tech,» adding that while fans will enjoy the experience, «it’s more another way to pilot Apple Immersive Video in live entertainment as Apple still tries to find the killer app for Vision Pro.»
Which Lakers games will stream on the Vision Pro?
Spectrum and the NBA reportedly will confirm which games will be available before the end of November, and the first immersive broadcasts will happen by early 2026.
Streams will be accessible to authenticated Spectrum SportsNet subscribers and Spectrum Internet customers within the Lakers’ territory, while on-demand replays and highlights will be viewable globally through the NBA app.
The 2025-26 NBA regular season starts Oct. 21 and runs through April 12, with the playoffs to follow.
