Earlier this offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers terminated their deal with ROOT Sports despite a year remaining on their contract. A significant reason was the lack of accessibility, as ROOT Sports was primarily available through cable providers, particularly Xfinity and DirecTV. With the recent announcement that the Blazers are switching to an over-the-air model and offering a streaming option, Blazers games should be much more accessible for fans.
Blazers partnering with Sinclair/KATU
Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan and Jacked Ramsays reported that the Blazers will partner with Sinclair Broadcast Group and KATU.
"The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a multi-year broadcast rights deal heading into the 2024-25 season with Sinclair Broadcast Group & KATU for all non-exclusive games. The Trail Blazers will also feature a direct-to-consumer option streaming option "BlazerVision" - available to most Oregon and Washington residents."
If you have an antenna and are within range, you will be able to watch Blazers games over the air for free this upcoming season; this news is excellent timing for Blazers fans, who would have had a challenging time watching their team play due to the lack of nationally televised games on their 2024-25 schedule. The only game the Blazers have on TNT is Damian Lillard's return to Portland on January 28.
Launch of BlazerVision
Another exciting option for Blazers fans who prefer to watch games on other devices is BlazerVision. It also works out in their favor that the Blazers only have one nationally televised game since BlazerVision offers all locally broadcast games for those in Oregon and Washington. This option is $120 per season (or $19.99 per month), which is $5 less than the streaming service that the Jazz introduced, Jazz+.
The Blazers are officially the fourth team to transition away from an RSN model, joining the Jazz, Pelicans, and Suns. Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report notes that the Suns experienced nearly double the local TV ratings last year after the switch. The Blazers and Suns are in two highly different situations regarding roster construction and timelines, so it would be surprising if Portland saw success to that extent.
Still, it's a win-win decision for the Blazers and their fans. They'll be much better off in the long term with the increase in accessibility and fanbase. While they won't be very competitive this upcoming season, there are still plenty of reasons to watch the Blazers games to get excited about some of their young pieces and overall long-term outlook.