So last week I really wanted to catch the PCL Basketball Championship games. Didn’t wanna spend money though, so I started digging around for free options. First thing I did was grab my TV remote and flip through all the local sports channels. Most were just showing reruns or baseball though. Total waste of time.
Trying random streaming apps
Then I thought maybe some apps could help. Went to the app store and searched “basketball live” – crazy how many apps popped up. Downloaded like five different ones that said “free basketball streams”. Big mistake. Two asked for credit card info right away, three played the same car insurance ads on loop for 20 minutes without showing any actual basketball. Uninstalled all of them.
The official league website
Finally remembered the actual PCL website. Duh. Should’ve started there honestly. On their schedule page, they listed free TV partners. Only problem? Their international broadcast partners didn’t cover my region. Almost smashed my keyboard.
The local channel solution
Almost gave up when my buddy told me about regional sports networks. Checked my local listings and found channel 7 was showing the finals with no subscription needed! Tested it yesterday afternoon – crystal clear HD stream with proper commentators and everything. Couldn’t believe it was actually free.
My final working free options
- Free over-air TV: Channel 7 for quarterfinals/finals
- Mobile viewing: The SportsZone app (free tier)
- Bonus option: Arena Replay lets you watch games 24hrs after they air
Ended up watching the whole semifinals on my tablet with the SportsZone app. Sure there were ads every timeout, but hey – it’s free basketball. Now I’ve got snacks ready for tonight’s championship game. Moral of the story? Sometimes the old school TV guide still works best.