The Utah Jazz are looking for a new TV partner and team owner Ryan Smith has a very specific goal in mind. He wants everyone in Utah to be able to see the team’s games on television.
“Right now we’re producing Jazz games to 40% of our market. I stood up publicly and said that’s not gonna fly this next year. We’re going wall to wall in the state, 3 million people. Everyone’s going to have access. If you’ve got rabbit ears on your television, you’re going to be able to watch the games,” he said on the latest edition of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast.
The Jazz are one of several teams that have become free agents after WBD Sports decided to shudder the company’s regional networks.
Amidst uncertainty facing the RSN model, multiple teams in the Western United States have chosen to do television deals with local television groups. The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury will have their games shown across Arizona thanks to a deal with Gray Television. Scripps Sports signed a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights that will have the team’s games on local stations in multiple states.
Smith isn’t just thinking about local television. He wants Jazz fans to be able to stream the team’s games too.
Whatever company ends up in business with the team, it will be the first time the Utah Jazz will be on a new network since 2009. Smith says even if that means taking a hit in revenue, a TV deal that puts the team on more screens is a sound investment.
“That’s super important to me … we’ll figure out how to offset the revenue contract for that another way, but our players and coaches … they’re working way too hard to not have their games be viewed by the masses.”
