UTAH JAZZ
Will AT&T SportsNet Carry Jazz Games After March?
SALT LAKE CITY – AT&T SportsNet which televises Utah Jazz games plans to abandon its regional sports networks at the end of March but is expected to carry the team’s games through the end of the regular season.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of AT&T SportsNet informed 10 MLB, NHL, and NBA teams, including the Jazz, that they had until the end of March to reach a deal to take back their distribution rights.
According to Sports Business Journal, “If the RSNs can’t reach deals with the teams, the channels eventually plan to move forward with a Chapter 7 liquidation filing.”
BREAKING: Warner Bros. Discovery is exiting the RSN business and wants teams to take back their rights.
Read more from @Ourand_SBJ ⤵️https://t.co/dTs49214Sj
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) February 24, 2023
AT&T SportsNet also carries the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA, the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Seattle Kraken in the NHL, and the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Seattle Mariners whose MLB seasons are set to open officially on March 30.
The news comes on the heels of Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of RSN giant Bally Sports announcing that it too was planning to file for bankruptcy.
Bally Sports is the carrier for 40 MLB, NBA, and NHL teams nationwide.
During All-Star weekend in Utah, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue with Diamond Sports Network and said the league had plans in place to make games available to fans this season.
“It largely affects the regular season for the NBA in terms of distributing, delivering those games directly to our consumers,” Silver said. “And if they were to indeed file for bankruptcy, there won’t be that much of the regular season left. For that period of time, we will have in place arrangements, if necessary, to continue to distribute those games to fans.”
Because the Jazz produce their own pre, half, and postgame shows that air on AT&T SportsNet, continuing operations through the end of the season is less of a hurdle.
AT&T SportsNet has been carrying Jazz games since 2009. The original 12-year agreement to carry games expired in 2021, but an exclusive negotiating window for AT&T SportsNet has kept the Jazz on the network over the last two seasons.
The Jazz have been exploring new broadcast and streaming options for the last several years, but have yet to announce plans for next season’s games.
The team’s regular season ends on April 9 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz have five games scheduled in April to close the year.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
