Skip to Content
Newsletter Facebook Twitter YouTube
New Orleans Pelicans Bally Sports App
… Bally Sports+ Bally Sports New Orleans

New Orleans Pelicans Ditch Bally Sports to Make Games Free Over the Air

New Orleans Pelicans Ditch Bally Sports to Make Games Free Over the Air

Ben Bowman
Ben Bowman was the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.
Read full bio ›
Ben Bowman

The bleeding at Bally Sports continues. Starting next season, the New Orleans Pelicans are abandoning the Bally family to air their games over-the-air.

NOLA.com reports the Pelicans now have a multiyear deal with Gray Television. This means that anyone with an antenna can access the games in Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Monroe); Mississippi (Biloxi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Meridian); and Alabama (Mobile).

The site reports that last season’s non-Bally games drew 260% more households than the Bally-exclusive Pelicans games.

Bally’s parent company, Diamond Sports, continues to battle its way through the bankruptcy process. Last month, Diamond told the Pelicans they were one of five teams the company planned to drop to try to stay afloat. That led the team to look for other partners.

Other teams that could break up with Bally include the Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Dallas Mavericks may also be looking for a new broadcasting home.

NOLA.com reports that the Pelicans and Gray are weighing a sports-only, over-the-air TV network on substations in 11 different markets.

You may remember that the Utah Jazz launched Jazz+ and the Phoenix Suns rolled out Suns Live when they broke free from their regional sports networks. Both teams offer their games free over-the-air as well. Sports Business Journal reports Jazz viewership increased by 39%, while the Suns’ local ratings jumped by 69% after the move.

This decision likely means death for Bally Sports New Orleans. The channel hasn’t shown much beyond the Pelicans aside from occasional Texas Rangers and Tulane football games.

Ben Bowman
Ben Bowman was the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.
Read full bio ›
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit

DIRECTV STREAM Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $50 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for DIRECTV STREAM.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new DIRECTV STREAM subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • Purchase must be completed on the DIRECTV STREAM website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Sling TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $25 Uber Eats Gift Card when you sign up for Sling TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Sling TV subscribers to Sling Orange, Blue, or Sling Orange + Blue.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Sling TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.

Hulu Live TV Cash Back

Let us know your e-mail address to send your $35 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for Hulu Live TV.

You will receive it ~2 weeks after you complete your first month of service.

Offer Terms

  • Only valid for new Hulu Live TV subscribers.
  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Hulu Live TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.