NBA’s plans for a national streaming platform may have to wait
NBA’s plans for a national streaming platform may have to wait
If the league wants a streaming RSN with up to 20 teams available, it will probably have to hold off for another few years.
If you’re an NBA fan who has consistent trouble watching your favorite team’s games not appearing on national platforms, the league feels your pain. The usage of regional sports networks (RSNs) has declined as viewers watch less and less traditional cable, and most cable distributors now house these channels in higher-priced channel packages, which cuts off access to even more fans. The NBA wants to launch its own streaming version of an RSN that carries local rights to many teams, but those plans might be stuck in the mud for the time being.
Key Details:
- Hurry up and wait: The NBA decided to defer discussions on a national RSN platform while negotiating deals last year.
- Reinforcements inbound: By waiting until 2027-28, the NBA could get four more teams on its nationalized service.
- Broadcast bust?: Teams that have gone to over-the-air and streaming combos have been disappointed by revenue and reach declines.
Sports Business Journal reports that many team executives around the league have heard “dead silence” about a national streaming platform that offers teams’ local rights in their respective markets. The NBA could have raised the prospect while finalizing its national media rights deal last year, but preferred to wait and handle negotiations separately.
One big reason for the league’s patience is that it could get opt-in from more teams by waiting. The Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Milwaukee Bucks all faced a deadline earlier this year on whether or not to re-up with their respective FanDuel Sports Network partners, and SBJ reports that four of them were forced to re-sign for two seasons when they decided to stick by those channels. The Bucks, Cavs, Hawks, and Heat could join the national RSN for the 2027-28 season.
Until it can get those teams to join, the NBA has no reason to rush the creation of its national RSN streamer. That leaves teams like the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Orlando Magic in a bit of limbo however; these teams have deals expiring with FanDuel Sports Networks after the 2025-26 season, leaving them to ask the channels for one-year deals, or to go to a combination free over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts and direct-to-consumer (DTC) streamers that are only available in their markets.
This last option may not appeal to some NBA governors, as teams that have switched to an OTA/DTC model have seen less-than-ideal results than hoped for from a revenue and viewership standpoint. According to one governor, “some of those over-the-air teams have been disappointed in the level of reach they’ve been able to attain.”
Another team executive was even more blunt about the state of local rights fees: “Everybody’s rights fees have just gone to nothing. If you didn’t do a deal in the last 12 months, you’re f—-ed.”
A national RSN streamer should help those fees climb back to levels that teams can appreciate. The Streamable has advocated for national platforms from the NBA, NHL, and MLB for some time, as they would greatly cut down on the amount of confusion fans experience when trying to watch their favorite team’s games.
MLB also wants to launch a national RSN platform to distribute local rights, and like the NBA, is struggling with the ability to align teams’ contract windows so that it has enough rights to get started with. It’s a puzzle with a lot of moving parts, but national RSN platforms can be good for fans and leagues alike with enough teams available. Now, the only question is if the NBA and MLB can get the stars to align, and patience will be a virtue.
FanDuel Sports Network
FanDuel Sports Network is a direct-to-consumer streaming service that offers live games for those who want access to your local FanDuel Sports Network RSN without subscribing to a cable or satellite package. It was most recently known as Bally Sports, and prior to that, Fox Sports Network.