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Ideally, during the final minutes of a do-or-die playoff game, fans wouldn’t miss any of the game due to technical difficulties.
Unfortunately, fans missed part of the final minute of the Charlotte Hornets’ 127-126 overtime victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night because the Amazon Prime Video stream went out.
The broadcast cut out as play resumed after a timeout, with the Hornets leading the Heat 125-120 with 48.1 seconds left in overtime. The Amazon Prime Video blackout lasted nearly two minutes, and fans lost 22.1 seconds of playing time and a Hornets possession.
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Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball celebrates with guard Coby White after scoring against the Miami Heat during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 14, 2026. (Nell Redmond/AP Photo)
The blackout came as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr recently said he was concerned that rising prices for streaming games would be maddening for sports fans. Carr’s comments come as the NFL, NBA, MLB and other major sports leagues are shifting some of their games from traditional broadcasts to streaming services.
The outage occurred due to an issue with the production truck, an Amazon Prime Video spokesperson told ESPN.
“Our teams restored the broadcast as quickly as possible to ensure fans could watch the conclusion of the game. We are conducting a thorough internal review to determine the cause of the outage,” the spokesperson said.
STREAMER TIM BRANDO SUGGESTS SPORTS FANS CONFUSED WHERE TO WATCH GAMES AS STREAMING TAKES OVER
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 14, 2026. (Nell Redmond/AP Photo)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was one of many fans who took to social media to express their displeasure over the service interruption.
“Tell me the game didn’t just cut out?!!? Am I tripping?? WTH,” James posted on X.
The NBA signed an 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal with Amazon Prime Video that began this season, and the streaming service has exclusive rights to all six games of this year’s play-in tournament.
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Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro drives against Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 14, 2026. (Nell Redmond/AP Photo)
The matchup between the 10th-seeded Heat and the 9th-seeded Hornets was a win-or-go-home matchup. With the win, the Hornets will play the underdog of the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers and the No. 8 Orlando Magic on Friday.
If they beat the loser of that matchup, they will reach the NBA Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
