Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Magic TV Channel Could Change Soon
With Bally Sports filing for bankruptcy and the landscape of regional sports networks changing dramatically, television broadcasts for Orlando Magic games could look different next season.
The Magic may decide to take a similar approach that the Phoenix Suns are taking.
Per ESPN, the Suns will stage their game broadcasts on free, over-the-air local television networks in the local area in lieu of cable. The WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, under the same ownership umbrella, will do the same.
"We're not focusing on money. We're focusing on winning, success, and taking care of fans, taking care of the community," Suns/Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said. "What happens is you always end up making money. It always works out.
"We're going to have more fans than ever before. We're going to have more people who will have eyeballs on Devin Booker and Deandre (Ayton) and Kevin Durant, Chris (Paul) and cheer the team on and more people buying merchandise because they're bigger fans."
Games will also be available on streaming firm Kiswe.
The Phoenix teams had staged their games on Bally Sports Arizona (previously known as Fox Sports Arizona) since 2003. This new over-the-air deal, described as a "tipping point" in sports media by Windhorst, comes in the wake of Bally Sports' parent company, Diamond Sports Group, filing for bankruptcy in March. The Suns claim that moving their games from cable, where they've been stationed in some form since 1981, will more than double the households able to take in games.
There is no word on whether the Magic will do the same, but moving the games to local channels could be an option.
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