Sports streamer DAZN has reached a deal with Gray Media to put more than a dozen regular-season games from the Cleveland Cavaliers on two of their local television stations.
A package of 15 games will air on WOIO (Channel 19, CBS0 and WUAB (Channel 43) this season, with the first game broadcast on Monday, October 26 when the Cavaliers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The deal runs through early April, when the Cavaliers battle against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, April 4.
The games will be televised through Gray Media’s regional broadcast sports franchise Entertainment Sports Network; the broadcaster is seeking additional TV partners to bring its Cavaliers games to stations in other parts of the team’s local TV market footprint.
At least two other stations, including one in Columbus, have been approached to offer Cavaliers in their markets, but Gray Media is still working to secure deals with those broadcast partners, a source familiar with the matter said.
The goal is to have Gray Media’s package of 15 games aired on free broadcast TV throughout the state, the source said. In markets where Gray Media is unable to offer Cavaliers games over broadcast TV, the company may opt to stream the games on its website and app, or through DAZN, using geofencing technology. Those technical details are still being worked out.
“This partnership represents a forward-thinking approach to serving local sports fans,” Matt Moran, the Senior Operating Officer at Gray Media, said in a statement Tuesday. “We are proud to expand our collaboration with the Cavaliers and DAZN to deliver premium, live sports content directly to the best fans in the country.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Cavaliers and DAZN to bring world-class basketball straight to our viewers’ living rooms completely free of charge,” said WOIO & WUAB General Manager Chris Conroy. “Local sports belong on local television, and this historic agreement delivers for Cavs fans.”
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