Streaming service DAZN is finalizing exclusive local broadcast agreements with five NBA franchises for the 2024-25 season, according to Sports Business Journal. The pending deals would place games for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies on the platform.
Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp reported that DAZN would pay each club a guaranteed annual rights fee estimated between $8 million and $20 million, scaled to market size. In addition to those payments, the streamer would share future subscription, advertising and other revenue with participating teams.
DAZN is also expected to strike streaming-only arrangements with the Orlando Magic and potentially the Charlotte Hornets. Separately, the company is poised to assume streaming distribution currently managed by the Gotham Sports app for the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and other New York–area clubs.
For Cavaliers viewers, the switch would mark another shake-up in regional sports coverage. Cleveland games most recently aired on FanDuel Sports Network through Diamond Sports Group, later renamed Main Street Sports Group, before that business folded.
The forthcoming contracts are expected to be short-term. Many will run for a single season or carry mutual opt-out clauses after 2024-25, providing flexibility as the NBA works toward launching its own centralized local streaming product before the 2027-28 campaign.
Teams involved plan to keep a portion of their schedules available on free, over-the-air television, allowing some games to remain accessible without a streaming subscription.
Should the agreements be completed, they would represent DAZN’s most significant entry into the U.S. local sports marketplace, giving the service a foothold ahead of any future league-wide consolidation of media rights.
Source: Hoops Wire
