Hey Scott, I'd love to know the economics of this and what other realistic options the Pacers had. The no non-DirecTV streaming options plus the truly egregious BallySports+ pricing can't help but send a signal to local fans from Pacers ownership that they don't really care that much about easy local access to games. Pacers ownership is helping to create a generation of local Warriors and Lakers fans because kids can't easily watch the Pacers. At least it's lead to increased attendance at games... oh, wait.
I don't have any numbers to pass along right now. I don't see many great alternatives. The only one is something like WISH-TV. Their owner has gone all-in on local programming and they are without an affiliation. Now, they're not on all the streaming platforms but it could help. However, it is available for free over an old-school antenna.
The pricing is all on Bally Sports; it's the same price across the country as they launch this new service. And I get it -- half the Warriors' and Lakers' schedule is on national TV whereas Pacers games aren't available to many. It's not a huge number, probably now like 20%, but the team can use all the support it can get. And it needs to consider the future generation. (So does IMS with the Indy 500 and it's outdated blackout rule.)
Any idea how long the new deal is?
Not yet. Both sides want to keep it private.
Hey Scott, I'd love to know the economics of this and what other realistic options the Pacers had. The no non-DirecTV streaming options plus the truly egregious BallySports+ pricing can't help but send a signal to local fans from Pacers ownership that they don't really care that much about easy local access to games. Pacers ownership is helping to create a generation of local Warriors and Lakers fans because kids can't easily watch the Pacers. At least it's lead to increased attendance at games... oh, wait.
I don't have any numbers to pass along right now. I don't see many great alternatives. The only one is something like WISH-TV. Their owner has gone all-in on local programming and they are without an affiliation. Now, they're not on all the streaming platforms but it could help. However, it is available for free over an old-school antenna.
The pricing is all on Bally Sports; it's the same price across the country as they launch this new service. And I get it -- half the Warriors' and Lakers' schedule is on national TV whereas Pacers games aren't available to many. It's not a huge number, probably now like 20%, but the team can use all the support it can get. And it needs to consider the future generation. (So does IMS with the Indy 500 and it's outdated blackout rule.)