The NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans are the latest team to leave RSNs for over-the-air television. Plus: Disney is raising prices on its streaming services; and more.
Pelicans latest team to ditch RSNs for OTA
The NBA New Orleans Pelicans turned down an increase in rights fees from incumbent broadcast partner Diamond Sports Group — operator of the Bally Sports RSNs — in favor of a new deal with Gray Television, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Tuesday. Under the new deal, Pelicans games will air primarily on over-the-air affiliates, specifically substations like Bounce TV.
The Pelicans learned last month that they were one of five NBA teams whose rights Diamond planned to drop, prompting the team to begin a search for a new partner. Per the report, Diamond reversed course last weekend — offering the Pelicans a deal more lucrative than any other proposed — but the Pelicans took less money to go with Gray Television.
The Pelicans are just the latest team across the NBA and NHL to shift from away from regi onal sports networks, joining the Suns and Jazz, the NHL Golden Knights and erstwhile Phoenix Coyotes, and the MLB Diamondbacks and Padres.
Disney raising prices of streaming services
Disney is raising the price of its various streaming services, the company announced Tuesday. That includes a one dollar per month increase for ESPN+, which will now cost $12/mo ($120/year), and a three-dollar increase for the “Disney bundle” of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu — which will now cost $17/mo.
The price hikes go into effect October 17.
Plus: Breer, Broadcasting, TNT/Bananas
— Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer is in talks with Amazon to serve as an editorial consultant and on-air contributor for Thursday Night Football, Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported Monday. Breer would succeed the late Chris Mortensen in the consultant role.
— The venerable industry publication Broadcasting & Cable, which launched in 1931 under the name “Broadcasting,” will shut down at the end next month, it was announced Tuesday. Companion publication Multichannel News is also shutting down.
— TNT Sports has acquired rights to a run of five-straight Savanna Banana baseball games, it was announced Tuesday. Each of the five games will air Friday nights on truTV, starting with a matchup on August 16.
