New Orleans Pelicans, Bally Sports New Orleans Announce Rights Extension

The New Orleans Pelicans today announced a rights extension with Bally Sports New Orleans that ensures the regional network will remain the team’s exclusive local media partner.

“When we constructed this new agreement with Bally Sports New Orleans the main priority was distribution and the ability to deliver our games directly to our fans. With the upcoming launch of Bally Sports+, Bally Sports’ direct-to-consumer platform, any Pelicans fan will be able to have access to Bally Sports New Orleans in the team’s local territory. This partnership allows us to continue to deliver unique, compelling Pelicans content across multiple platforms with the highest production quality,” said Dennis Lauscha, President, New Orleans Pelicans. “We are still working every option with Bally Sports New Orleans to improve the accessibility, ancillary content and distribution of Pelicans programming to all of our fans across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region.”

The Pelicans consulted with the NBA and examined many other regional sports networks during this time to determine the best options available for the team and its fans.

“The New Orleans Pelicans have been a great partner over the years and we look forward to building this relationship into the future,” said Steve Simpson, SVP and GM, Bally Sports New Orleans. “Our ability to deliver Pelicans content to as many local fans as possible, on both linear distribution channels and the all-new Bally Sports+ streaming product this fall, is incredibly exciting as we continue to grow the next generation of Pelicans fans.”

Under the new agreement, Bally Sports New Orleans will continue to produce approximately 75 regular season games each season, along with select preseason contests and first round playoff games. The Pelicans hired Endeavor to consult on their local media rights deal, which extends the partnership between the team and the Network that started in 2012.

“The New Orleans Pelicans engaged our company to consult with them seeking the best deal that would accomplish two goals: deliver Pelicans basketball directly to all consumers, both linear and live stream, and do so in a manner that was high quality, efficient and cost effective to the consumer,” said Karen Brodkin, Executive Vice President, Endeavor. “We examined a number of options that were taken into consideration, but Bally Sports New Orleans, with its new Bally Sports+ platform and high-quality production, proved best for the Pelicans and their fans.”

In addition to producing approximately 75 regular season games, Bally Sports New Orleans will provide extensive team coverage including Pelicans Live pregame and postgame shows, as well as Pelicans Insider, a bi-weekly program featuring player and coach profiles, game highlights and behind-the-scenes content.

Lauscha added, “We will continue to work with Bally Sports New Orleans to produce more unique and exclusive Pelicans content to build around the game and deliver it directly to our fans. The excitement about the team grows daily and it is our job to not only bring that content to our fans but also unfettered access to watch our games.”

Bally Sports New Orleans is currently available through various providers in the region including AT&T U-Verse, Cox Communications, DirecTV, DirecTV Stream, and Spectrum. Additionally, all Pelicans games will be available on Bally Sports+ this fall, a new streaming platform that will offer streaming of live Pelicans games on a direct-to-consumer basis within the Pelicans’ local territory. Subscriptions for Bally Sports+ will be available on a monthly or annual basis without a cable/satellite subscription. The team and Bally Sports New Orleans will soon announce further details on this product.

Lauscha added, “It was imperative that we do a deal that would bring ease and accessibility to Pelicans games directly to our fans. In addition, we want to enhance the broadcast; we want our fans engaged with our team, our players and our games. We believe this partnership accomplishes that. We stressed our concerns and the concerns of our fans during the negotiations not only to Bally Sports but also with other providers that wanted to broadcast Pelicans games. Our fans deserve and need to be able to access our games, without any issue or obstacle.”