Suns Sign New Free-TV Deal

[Phrazbit]

I can't say enough how impressive this is.

Bally went out of their way to reduce their availability in an effort force people to pay for their garbage app and the Suns saw that it was hurting their fans, hurting the ability to grow their viewership and Ishbia went all out to resolve it.

More evidence that his motivation in buying the team is build a great franchise and not to merely to expand his wallet.

 

[Skratchy_Seal]

Back in the 80s/90s, I only remember seeing away games OTA. Are they going to air all home/away games this time around?

 

[Folster]

This is so smart. The Suns will get 3x more households. Everybody who wants to watch will be able to including low income households and even accidental viewers. I imagine ratings will be record level and that will bring the advertisers. If the Suns can keep a competitive product on the court this could reignite and grow the fanbase. Bravo Ishbia!

Get your antennas ready!

 

[GatorAZ]

Wouldn't it be amazing if they used an updated version of this? Just swap out the players and highlights, use a remastered version of the music, and a whole generation can fall in love with the Suns like those of who grew up in the 90's.

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RIP Montgomery Ward.

 

[Hoop Head]

Back in the 80s/90s, I only remember seeing away games OTA. Are they going to air all home/away games this time around?

Sounds like that's the plan. All on non-national games will be on Channel 3 or 5 as well as an app. They've said 70+ games a season.

I know back in the 90's it was primarily road games OTA and home games on cable. They'd swap a couple marquee match ups like going to Chicago was cable and in return we'd get 2-3 home games a year but never a big game.

 

[Folster]

Sounds like that's the plan. All on non-national games will be on Channel 3 or 5 as well as an app. They've said 70+ games a season.

I know back in the 90's it was primarily road games OTA and home games on cable. They'd swap a couple marquee match ups like going to Chicago was cable and in return we'd get 2-3 home games a year but never a big game.

We didn't have cable growing up so my Dad and I would listen to the home games in the living room. My dad would lay on the floor, and now that I think about it he was probably just happy to get some rest while I was entertained.

Don't forget the wretched Pay Per View games in the 90's too that they tried for a couple seasons. They were always the marquee match-ups. That sucked.

 

[DeAnna]

Yay! Enough people were outraged (like me!) when the local playoff games were blacked out on NBAtv et al. I couldn't believe it

 

[Hoop Head]

We didn't have cable growing up so my Dad and I would listen to the home games in the living room. My dad would lay on the floor, and now that I think about it he was probably just happy to get some rest while I was entertained.

Don't forget the wretched Pay Per View games in the 90's too that they tried for a couple seasons. They were always the marquee match-ups. That sucked.

Same. I didn't have cable most of my childhood but thankfully I lived on a street with a half dozen kids around the same age just as enamored by the Suns as I was, some more so. Unless it was an 8pm start time on a weekday me and my brother would usually be at someones house watching the cable games.

I remember the PPV nonsense right after the Finals appearance. Thankfully a friends dad ordered all of them and loved having a room full of people over to watch them in his freshly built addition/den. Back when big screens were rare, he had like 40+ inch TV. He'd tape the games too if they were on weekdays so we'd usually get to watch them the next day. Back then it was easy to avoid the score and results since there was no internet.

Man, this all takes me back.

 

[Cheesebeef]

We didn't have cable growing up so my Dad and I would listen to the home games in the living room. My dad would lay on the floor, and now that I think about it he was probably just happy to get some rest while I was entertained.

Don't forget the wretched Pay Per View games in the 90's too that they tried for a couple seasons. They were always the marquee match-ups. That sucked.

This was so f’ed up back in the day. They did it for first round playoff home games also in the series against Golden State in 1994.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I’ve had 5 friends of other teams text me how great this move was by our owner.

That’s awesome. Look… I assume like most billionaires, Ishbia has his warts, but a move like this puts the Suns in a really positive light.

How awesome would it be if we became one of the Crown Jewels of the NBA like we were with Colangelo where we were a legit destination for any major FA/Star because of ownership?

 

[Phrazbit]

This was so f’ed up back in the day. They did it for first round playoff home games also in the series against Golden State in 1994.

The Rex Chapman buzzer beater against Seattle was a PPV game too.

I remember listening to that one on the radio even though my family was at home.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The Rex Chapman buzzer beater against Seattle was a PPV game too.

I remember listening to that one on the radio even though my family was at home.

Man… they were doing that all the way up through 1997? I was in college post 1994, so I got to see all those games on cable in Cali, but didn’t realize they stretched that PPV crap that long.

 

[Joe Mama]

The Rex Chapman buzzer beater against Seattle was a PPV game too.

I remember listening to that one on the radio even though my family was at home.

I was on the rehab floor in Scottsdale memorial for that one and we got lucky that there was some big wig in the hospital at the same time as me that somehow got us all the PPV games. In the rec room they had a big screen TV and that when I'm pretty sure I was by myself. I went nuts when he hit that shot. I'm about 90% sure they ended up losing the game in OT… I don't really remember, but I can see that Rex Chapman shot like it was yesterday.

When does this new deal start assuming it doesn't get killed somehow because of the Bally sports push back?

 

[TJ]

Back in the 80s/90s, I only remember seeing away games OTA. Are they going to air all home/away games this time around?

Channel 45 with Cotton and Al bring back such good memories. Of course, after 93, the team put select games on PPV, which pissed me off

 

[Hoop Head]

When does this new deal start assuming it doesn't get killed somehow because of the Bally sports push back?

It's supposed to kick off with the Mercury next month and the Suns next season.

 

[Phrazbit]

I was on the rehab floor in Scottsdale memorial for that one and we got lucky that there was some big wig in the hospital at the same time as me that somehow got us all the PPV games. In the rec room they had a big screen TV and that when I'm pretty sure I was by myself. I went nuts when he hit that shot. I'm about 90% sure they ended up losing the game in OT… I don't really remember, but I can see that Rex Chapman shot like it was yesterday.

When does this new deal start assuming it doesn't get killed somehow because of the Bally sports push back?

Yeah, they lost that game in OT.

It's kinda wild how that is on the Suns all-time highlight list but it is a game that almost no one was able to see because it was PPV and it was also a defeat.

Another example of collective delusion.

I'm sure I would be a member of the delusion if I didn't have the specific memory is hearing it on the radio.

As to the present; we're into the second round, so all games should be broadcast on regular carriers. If you have TNT, TBS or ESPN, you should get all the games the rest of the year.

Next year: if you live in Arizona, you should be able to get every game on either channel 3 or channel 5, no matter what your provider is, and you should have access online streaming as long as you have an Arizona IP address... which you will have by default in AZ or you can get through a rather cheap VPN.

 

[95pro]

The Rex Chapman buzzer beater against Seattle was a PPV game too.

I remember listening to that one on the radio even though my family was at home.

No shizz? I didn’t know my dad paid for all that as ppv

 

[Folster]

So some clarification on the local channels where you will be able to watch the games. KTVK is channel 3 and will air approximately 40 of the 70 games that are not national. The remaining 30 will be on KPHE channel 44. This is not KPHO channel 5, but it is owner by Gray Television.

For those on the outskirts of the valley and are now considering investing in an antenna, you'd be wise to run a test on rabbitears.info to see what channels you can expect to get depending on your location and antenna.

I'm in Gilbert about 15 miles away from the South Mountain transmitter with an aerial antenna on my two story roof. I get channel 44 with no issues but it is not quite as strong of a signal as channel 3 and 5 so again those on the outskirts should check it out.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Skratchy_Seal]

Channel 45 with Cotton and Al bring back such good memories. Of course, after 93, the team put select games on PPV, which pissed me off

Yeah, and I remember the Cotton Express.

Some places were hosting watch parties for PPV games. I remember going to a church one time and going to the Coliseum another time. I can’t remember if they were all charging admission or not.

 

[BirdGangThing]

I was on the rehab floor in Scottsdale memorial for that one and we got lucky that there was some big wig in the hospital at the same time as me that somehow got us all the PPV games. In the rec room they had a big screen TV and that when I'm pretty sure I was by myself. I went nuts when he hit that shot. I'm about 90% sure they ended up losing the game in OT… I don't really remember, but I can see that Rex Chapman shot like it was yesterday.

When does this new deal start assuming it doesn't get killed somehow because of the Bally sports push back?

If I remember correctly Whataburger sent 50 dollars to Suns charities when Rex hit that shot

 

[Folster]

I've been reading that the Suns contract with Bally's expired after this season, but Bally's had right of first refusal in the contract that supposedly allows them to match any offer.

You got to think the Suns and Gray TV lawyers know what they are doing and they didn't jump the gun.

 

[Phrazbit]

I've been reading that the Suns contract with Bally's expired after this season, but Bally's had right of first refusal in the contract that supposedly allows them to match any offer.

You got to think the Suns and Gray TV lawyers know what they are doing and they didn't jump the gun.

I don't think they care. Bally offered an awful product that hurts the brand. Even if they lose a lawsuit for 20 million or something, I think it's a net positive.

You'd think that the NBA and the Suns would have had a clause in the original deal with Fox Sports that their product needs to reach X-many house holds or they can get out of the deal... but maybe they can get around that kind of thing with their price gouging streaming service.

Bally is completely screwing the Diamondbacks, they are not paying them a dime because of bankruptcy, the Dbacks are reaching fewer eyes than any point in their history... and they've finally got an entertaining product on the field.

I have little doubt that the Dbacks will follow the Suns onto 3TV in the near future.

 

[Covert Rain]

So some clarification on the local channels where you will be able to watch the games. KTVK is channel 3 and will air approximately 40 of the 70 games that are not national. The remaining 30 will be on KPHE channel 44. This is not KPHO channel 5, but it is owner by Gray Television.

For those on the outskirts of the valley and are now considering investing in an antenna, you'd be wise to run a test on rabbitears.info to see what channels you can expect to get depending on your location and antenna.

I'm in Gilbert about 15 miles away from the South Mountain transmitter with an aerial antenna on my two story roof. I get channel 44 with no issues but it is not quite as strong of a signal as channel 3 and 5 so again those on the outskirts should check it out.

You must be registered for see images attach

Keep in mind, they did not detail it yet, but all of these games they planned on making it part of a direct-to-consumer streaming service. Although I have to question how this part will work. There are "free" streaming Services out there. However, if this is free? What is the quality going to be like? I can't imagine it will be better than Bally's.

 

[Phrazbit]

Keep in mind, they did not detail it yet, but all of these games they planned on making it part of a direct-to-consumer streaming service. Although I have to question how this part will work. There are "free" streaming Services out there. However, if this is free? What is the quality going to be like? I can't imagine it will be better than Bally's.

3TV aired Dback games previous at the same quality Fox Az did.

The Suns pay the camera crews at the arena, the studio people, ect ect. Bally just airs the broadcast. I doubt the quality will change at all.

Given the crazy volume problems I've had on Bally, it might improve.

That company is garbage.

 

[Covert Rain]

3TV aired Dback games previous at the same quality Fox Az did.

The Suns pay the camera crews at the arena, the studio people, ect ect. Bally just airs the broadcast. I doubt the quality will change at all.

Given the crazy volume problems I've had on Bally, it might improve.

That company is garbage.

Not referring to the presentation. Bally's didn't invest much in their infrastructure. As a result, the quality of the stream from a video or audio perspective, buffering and dropout was an issue with the service. They did the minimum to maximize profit.