Hornets TV Coverage in NC/SC

[TheKingofSting]

What city are you in/near - Greenville, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Clemson?

Pacolet (near Spartanburg but on the Cherokee County, Gaffney side).

I watched every Hornets game on DISH Network last season sitting right here and there was no announcement of changes or anything and this has been maddening.

DISH has a game finder app but it is iffy. It shows the Hornets coverage going to Blacksburg but always blacked out in Gaffney, Spartanburg, Greenville, etc. I guess if the NBA emailing doesn't go as I'd like Then I will just need to try contacting the Hornets.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

I will say I am also having this issue in Western NC near Asheville (same media market), hopefully we get it sorted out soon

Have you tried contacting the Hornets? I sent an email to an email account I found on the Hornets website. I think it is info@hornets.com. I haven't heard anything back from them yet. Is there any better way to reach them? I would think that Pete Guelli could help. He is on Twitter but I don't know how else to reach him.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM mobile app

I dropped everything and just stream fox sports go, it's much better this season with no drops in quality or random cutouts. Looks great. I use my restaurant's direct tv info to log in.

Buy a fire tv (preferably the box but the stick works too) and PM me. You can get games but not in the same quality. But for movies and TV, it's fantastic.

Thanks for the offer but way out in the country where I live we have crappy satellite internet and only get so much data.

[fatlever]

Bally sports now has an app for those in local market who want to watch hornets, but cant watch on league pass and dont want cable.
20/month
or
200/year

not cheap, but better than cable prices

[fatlever]

https://cordcuttersnews.com/bally-sports-rsns-are-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy/

Looks like Bally is going bankrupt. Hope this doesn't get uglier for Hornets coverage.

[UNCNYC]

I used to love Raycom when I was in NC. Used to watch Natrone Means. I just told my age haha

[dmutombo321]

https://cordcuttersnews.com/bally-sports-rsns-are-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy/

Looks like Bally is going bankrupt. Hope this doesn't get uglier for Hornets coverage.

https://imgur.com/MaYYUhf

Found this gem in my closet today. From back during the era before cable sports net conglomerates came in vogue and you could watch hornets games on an antenna via Fox18 or WJZY.

[fatlever]

https://cordcuttersnews.com/bally-sports-rsns-are-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy/

Looks like Bally is going bankrupt. Hope this doesn't get uglier for Hornets coverage.

https://imgur.com/MaYYUhf

Found this gem in my closet today. From back during the era before cable sports net conglomerates came in vogue and you could watch hornets games on an antenna via Fox18 or WJZY.

thats pretty cool.
only problem back then, they only televised the away games.

[fatlever]

It's official Bally filed for bankruptcy. Not sure where our TV coverage goes from here. It's possible they continue to operate under chapter 11 and we see no obvious changes. Or the NBA takes over TV rights for the markets that have Regional Sports networks like us. If that's the case, what does that mean for our A+ Broadcasting crew?

Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[SWedd523]

Well Ashley is getting married anyway, so she's already dead to me.

[dmutombo321]

Interesting article on the Suns. In the wake of the Bally bankruptcy, they're attempting to pivot back to a throwback model where all their games would be broadcast over the air locally. Bankruptcy judge is thwarting their plans however.

https://tvanswerman.com/2023/05/10/the-regional-sports-network-crisis-bankruptcy-judge-goes-dikembe-mutombo-on-phoenix-suns-gray-deal/

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[Robot Rock]

appropriate that a Mutombo account posts a Mutombo-related link

[dmutombo321]

Another team announcing distribution mix that includes antenna accessible games OTA in the local market.

https://www.deseret.com/2023/6/20/23766592/utah-jazz-to-air-games-on-kjzz-and-new-streaming-platform-says-owner-ryan-smith

WCCB anyone?

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[dmutombo321]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38696218/nba-rsn-questions-bally-sports-diamond

With the Bally Bankruptcy and the recent technical problems that the Bally app has encountered nationwide that has irate viewers missing games for their respective local teams, there's been a great deal of discussion lately of what a new distribution model will look like. In the wake of pervasive cord cutting, save for huge markets like NYC and LA, the regional sports network is no longer financially viable.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, PHX and UT have pivoted back to regional over the air broadcast (also available on cable/satellite) paired with an app option.

https://www.nba.com/suns/how-to-watch

Cuban recently hinted that Dallas may be leaving towards a similar model once Bally folds.

This all got me thinking about what a post Bally world might look like for the Hornets. What PHX and UT are doing should be the model.

Back in the 90s, prior to SportsSouth (clt's first regional sports network that later became Fox sports and then Bally), the Hornets used a combo of local stations ranging from wjzy to wccb. As these stations are now Charlotte's Fox and CW affiliates respectively, I don't think they would be interested in sacrificing evening programming blocks currently earmarked for primetime network shows in favor of the Hornets. The Hornets viewership numbers don't justify it anymore.

That leaves what I believe is the most viable option: WAXN (Action 64). Owned by WSOC, it has tremendous signal strength and capacity to broadcast in 4k ( for ppl who have ASTC 3.0 tuners, 1080 for all others). This would enable free over the air HD antenna viewing for everyone in Charlotte and most ppl within 50-60 miles of greater Charlotte. It's also carried on spectrum, dish, direct for most other households in the Carolinas.

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/find-tv64-your-cable-provider-channel-lineup/223076864/

For all other viewers outside the Carolinas, they could offer a cheap sub $10/month app option.

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[fatlever]

In the 90s you could go to any city in North and South Carolina and the Hornets would be on local cable. At first it was only 41 Road games and then a few years later it was changed to all 82 home and road games. That was the case until the Hornets left for new orleans.

Anyway, it's shocking the NBA has gone a full decade without having a viable solution for cord cutters to watch games in their home market. The NBA has done a lot of stuff right, but this is one area where they've massively dropped the ball in order of getting that dying regional sports money from LA.



Sent from my SM-G973U using RealGM mobile app

[chabber]

I think in the late 80s early 90s we were only getting like 36 or so away games and no home ones, but yeah the NBA keeps making TV blunders. If you remember they even had lawsuits against the Bulls deal with WGN about them airing TOO MANY Bulls games. WGN was all over the country on cable and as an OTA channel and they had this guy named Jordan who everyone got to see way more than we had any right to at the time. Between WGN and national TV games you could see more Bulls than local Hornets games. Yet the NBA somehow saw this as bad for business. lol. I’m not too hopeful even for an upcoming deal. I’d love for the team to be back on local OTA, but I’d really like an MLS or F1 type deal with no blackouts or commercials but that’s a pipe dream.

[yosemiteben]

I guess the issue Bally was having had to do with ads, had a bunch of random times tonight when I couldn't fast forward and it said ad in the corner but it was the dumb Bally clip over and over. Don't think that was sometime I had to deal with before

[chabber]

I’m just glad they got the app fixed. Missed the last two games and seeing B Milly run through Nesmith I think and then that smirk he was carrying afterwards made my night. He might be slight but he’s got an attitude on the court that I like.

[Liver_Pooty]

Yeah bally worked tonight. Thank God.

[dmutombo321]

Not sure how the return to free over the air broadcast is going for the Suns or Jazz so far but it looks like it's a boon for Las Vegas' NHL team.

Gabe/Rick - WAXN is waiting when Bally's end day arrives. It's got the reach and signal strength to service the greater Charlotte area OTA, is already with most cable and satellite providers and it's weekly evening programming is nothing more than local news and sit-com reruns.

Offer a cheap in-house app option for everyone else

'Since Leaving AT&T SportsNet RSN, NHL Golden Knights TV Ratings Have More Than Doubled on Free Broadcast TV'

https://cordcuttersnews.com/since-leaving-bally-sports-rsn-nhl-golden-knights-tv-ratings-have-more-than-doubled-on-free-broadcast-tv/?_gl=1*3fzi8a*_ga*eUhHR3U5clBIMXNXMVhnN3Z1NHZCUjRJa0hnSFZKbC1pRXliYlE0OGN1V2ZZc1lsb01lQ3Q0R1FLWWNFc1FaTw..*_ga_P466W4ZRR4*MTY5OTE5MTYxOS4yMy4xLjE2OTkxOTE2MTkuMC4wLjA.#:~:text=Earlier%20this%20year%2C%20the%20NHL,the%20same%20period%20last%20yefar.

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app

[KembaWalker]

They'd rather have Bally's money and half the viewers than double the viewers for no TV contract. They won't have a choice soon though

[dmutombo321]

https://www.si.com/nba/hornets/news/report-hornets-games-could-be-free-from-bally-sports-by-next-season

Sent from my motorola edge (2021) using RealGM mobile app