The NBA logo before the game between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on March 11, 2024.
Nick Antaya | Getty Images
Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans fans are waiting for new ways to watch local games during the upcoming NBA season.
Both teams are exiting the regional sports networks owned by Diamond Sports Inc., according to documents filed in bankruptcy court on Friday.
NBA season has been confirmed start October 22nd.
The Pelicans have reached an agreement in principle with the team gray tv A person close to the team told CNBC that games will be televised this season, confirming previous media reports. Representatives for Gray and the Pelicans declined to comment for this story.
Last season, the Pelicans broadcast They played 10 games on local television in Gray against the Mavericks, who played in last season's NBA Finals. Enter Agreement with 13 games LabelDallas-Fort Worth Station.
Representatives for the Mavericks and Tegna did not immediately respond to CNBC's request asking who will broadcast their local games.
The Mavericks and Pelicans are the latest teams to move most of their regular season games from Diamond-owned regional sports networks to the Bally Sports brand.
Diamond Sports has been trying to emerge from bankruptcy over the past 18 months, and in the process, some NBA, WNBA and NHL teams have abandoned regional sports networks in favor of local broadcasters. Some MLB teams that have left these networks will now have their games produced by the league.
As part of the termination, Diamond Sports will receive repayments of $1.3 million from the Mavericks and more than $297,000 from the Pelicans, respectively, according to court documents.
The split with the Mavericks and Pelicans comes as Diamond inked broadcast and streaming rights deals with the NBA and NHL for next season as part of bankruptcy proceedings. The transactions are subject to court approval.
“We applaud our continued collaboration and long-term partnership with the NBA and NHL,” Diamond Sports CEO David Preschlack said in a statement, adding that the deal with the league “is another important milestone in exiting bankruptcy.”
Diamond Sports is one of many companies hit hard by the decline of cable TV. Although the company launched a sports-only streaming service for some of its teams in 2022, the company's $8 billion debt load was too staggering to prevent it from filing for bankruptcy protection.
Diamond has also faced increased pressure in recent months to develop a viable business plan and prove he can pay the necessary rights fees as the NBA and NHL seasons approach.
This summer, Diamond marked another milestone by reaching an agreement to restore its network. Comcast's cable television customers. In early May, Bally Sports Network blacklisted Comcast, Diamond's third-largest distributor.
Revealed: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.