Today, the Utah Jazz, announced that they will offer in-markt streaming of their games this fall during the NBA season in partnership with Kiswe to manage the stream. The Utah Jazz are the second NBA team to announce plans to air their games for free on OTA TV.
With this deal, all non-nationally televised Jazz games on an over-the-air, local TV station – KJZZ, channel 14 – which will become “The Home of the Utah Jazz.” Utah Jazz games. The in-market streaming service will announce pricing for the service before the start of the season. We also do not know what devices will be supported with this new service.
“Partnering with Kiswe and the NBA is a significant step forward in our commitment to providing innovative, world-class fan experiences and maximizing our brand reach to the widest audience possible,” Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz said.
In the past the Utah Jazz aired on AT&T SportsNet but that network is expected to shutdown this fall before the start of the NBA season.
“Our top priority has always been providing the best fan experience possible. When we first took over stewardship of the team, 39% of Utah households had the ability to watch Jazz games, so as soon as the window opened last fall for us to rethink our approach to broadcasting, we began exploring all options to provide fans the most reliable access to Jazz games,” said Ryan Smith, chairman of Smith Entertainment Group and governor of the Utah Jazz. “This new approach is one of the most important investments we have made since purchasing the team because it allows us to deliver Utah Jazz games to all 3.3 million plus Utahns.”
Emboldening a new era of content creation, SEG Media and the Utah Jazz will also offer a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming option.
Starting October 2023, a new paid, Utah Jazz-branded, subscription-based streaming platform will deliver every available Jazz game. You will also gett special access to the team, front office, and corporate management via exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. The Jazz say details on the Jazz’s DTC offering will be announced in the coming months.
The Jazz join the Pheinix Suns who also recently announced a deal to air their games on local OTA TV. For now, thought he Suns deal is on hold pending the Bally Sports bankruptcy ruling.