TEGNA’s local television stations in Minneapolis and Memphis will offer more than a dozen basketball games from their home area’s NBA teams this season through complementary arrangements with streaming service DAZN.
In Minneapolis, KARE (Channel 11, NBC) will continue its partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a third consecutive season, offering 15 games throughout the season, starting October 28. The broadcasts will be available to more than 1.5 million home via broadcast, cable, satellite and streaming.
The games will use DAZN’s production and announcing teams and will also stream free through DAZN. The over-the-air schedule includes matchups against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and other teams.
In Memphis, games from the Grizzlies will be offered by WATN (Channel 24, ABC), making the station a new local broadcast partner for in-market games from the team. As with KARE, WATN will offer 15 games throughout the season, with the rest available on DAZN.
TEGNA said it also intends to recruit additional television stations throughout the Grizzlies’ extended territory in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Kentucky, with additional distribution details expected in the coming weeks.
Eight of the 15 Grizzlies broadcasts have been announced, including games against the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat. The remaining seven games will be announced later.
The two deals are the latest examples of local broadcasters bringing professional sports games to free TV — games that were previously only available in most markets on cable and satellite TV.
Peer broadcasters like Gray Media, the E. W. Scripps Company and Nexstar have forged similar agreements with NBA teams and other professional sports franchises to offer games on free, over-the-air television over the past few years.
