The 2024-25 NBA season is here and for the first time in years, many fans can watch their favorite local teams OTA with an antenna. After years of being behind a paywall, NBA teams are transitioning away from what commissioner Adam Silver has called “a broken RSN model.”
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of many teams that ditched the pay-TV distributor model for free OTA broadcasts after launching the Rip City Television Network to begin the season. Fans who live in the Portland market can watch those games that are non-nationally exclusive on Sinclair’s KATU-TV.
Beginning in January 2025, the greater Portland region will see an expansion as Blazers games will also air on sister-station KUNP (Channel 16), which is losing its Univision affiliation once the switch happens, according to Oregon Live. Per the report, the channel will switch to English-language news and sports programming.
On Media Day, Portland Trail Blazers President of Business Operations Dewayne Hankins explains that on January 1, 2025, the team’s games airing on the channel will be available on live TV streaming platforms, including Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
Currently, most games air on KATU Charge 2.2, while some will air on the ABC affiliate KATU-TV 2.1. DIRECTV is finalizing a deal that will bring all of Sinclair’s Rip City Network programming to their streaming and satellite platforms. All games that air on KATU 2.1 can be streamed on Fubo across Oregon and Washington. Fans who live in the general Portland area can watch games that are broadcasted on KATU 2.1 with DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV
For those who live in the market and want to stream the Trail Blazers during the 2024-25 season, the team also launched BlazerVision, their direct-to-consumer streaming platform. Every game that airs on the Rip City Television Network can be viewed live or on-demand for only $120 for the season. On November 1, the service will launch a monthly subscription for $19.99 per month. As a bonus for signing up, you receive a free gift of 2 tickets to 1 of 5 select Blazers games in the 2024-25 regular season.
As more teams continue to make OTA channels their home, expect more RSNs to be available on a wide range of live TV streaming platforms to give fans options to watch their favorite teams.