RSNs in Flux: NBA Teams on the Move

If you’re a Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, or Portland Trailblazers fan, you may be confused about where to find some early games due to the changes these five teams made to their local media providers during the offseason.

Over the past year, several regional sports networks have changed hands, been abandoned, or struggled to emerge from bankruptcy. While there’s still a lot of turmoil as the new NBA season begins, one constant is that DIRECTV remains committed to local NBA teams and the fans who support them.

“We continue to believe in the unique power of local sports teams to unite the communities they call home, and we will continue collaborating with the top leagues, local franchises, and media partners to cultivate future generations of fans,” says DIRECTV Chief Content Officer Rob Thun. “We have always prided ourselves on being a sports leader and intend to remain at the forefront.”

To that end, DIRECTV recently renewed the 19 Diamond Sports Group regional sports networks that provide NBA fans with

Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and San Antonio Spurs games. The only major change to those RSNs is that they have recently switched names from “Bally Sports” to “FanDuel Sports.” That’ll be reflected in channel listings, onscreen guides, and other aspects of the fan experience within the first few weeks of the new NBA season. DIRECTV also recently became the first – and so far only – major provider to launch the new Chicago Sports Network, which will provide Chicago Bulls games starting this season.

While Bulls, Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Bucks, Timberwolves, Thunder, Magic, Spurs, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards fans will all enjoy a relatively seamless transition into the 2024-25 NBA season, that’s not necessarily the case for at least some fans of teams that moved games in the offseason. This situation remains quite fluid, and changes sometimes occur daily, but here’s the most up-to-date, team-by-team rundown of where things currently stand as the 2024-25 NBA season tips off.

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CHICAGO BULLS

The Bulls moved to the new Chicago Sports Network from their former home at NBC Sports Chicago, which has shut down. DIRECTV is currently the only major provider that has launched the Chicago Sports Network, making the transition seamless and simple for all Bulls fans. Any satellite, streaming, or U-verse customers who received NBC Sports Chicago before are now getting Chicago Sports Network—and in the same channel position. And that’s not just for the fans in Chicago, but anywhere else in the Bulls’ five-state home region that got games before.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

The Mavericks moved their games off Bally Sports Southwest to TEGNA’s Dallas-Fort Worth broadcast stations WFAA-ABC and Estrella affiliate KMPX, as well as other TEGNA stations in Abilene (KXVA), Midland-Odessa (KWES), San Angelo (KIDY), Tyler (KYTX), and Waco (KCEN/KAGS). Those games remain available to all DIRECTV satellite customers in each metro region and the rest of the Maverick’s home territory in northern and central Texas, Oklahoma other than Oklahoma City, northern Louisiana, and western Arkansas. DIRECTV also expects to finalize a new agreement for streaming customers there soon.

DENVER NUGGETS

DIRECTV has been the only major provider to offer Altitude Sports and its Nuggets coverage, which will continue for all the satellite, streaming, or U-verse customers who have previously received Nuggets games. The Nuggets recently moved 20 games to TEGNA’s KUSA-NBC and KTVD-MNT in Denver. DIRECTV will continue to offer those games to Denver satellite customers and expects to finalize a new agreement for streaming customers soon, too.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

The Pelicans moved their games from Bally Sports New Orleans, which has shut down, to a new consortium of local broadcast stations owned by Gray Television, collectively known as the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network. Anchored by Gray’s WVUE-FOX/Bounce TV in New Orleans, the new consortium includes several other stations across Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and Alabama. The Pelicans have also launched their own subscription streaming service, Pelicans+, as a lifeline to fans. DIRECTV is working with Gray TV to potentially make the Pelicans telecasts available to satellite, streaming, and U-verse customers in the core New Orleans metro region while also enabling other fans who live further away to see the team, too. In the meantime, any DIRECTV via Internet customer already has a Gemini set-top box, so they can download the Pelicans+ app and watch Pelicans games as part of their usual DIRECTV experience. Satellite customers who have yet to upgrade to a Gemini set-top box can learn more here.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

The Trailblazers moved their games to Sinclair Broadcast Group’s broadcast stations KATU-ABC and KUNP in Portland, which will drop its Univision affiliation in January to provide Blazers games to that core metro region. KUNP will anchor a consortium of Sinclair stations collectively known as Rip City Network, serving Portland, Seattle, and the rest of the Blazers’ home territory across Oregon and Washington. DIRECTV has recently finalized an agreement with Sinclair to enable satellite and streaming customers to see all those games.