New Orleans Pelicans Announce 2022-23 Broadcast Schedule
The New Orleans Pelicans are gearing up to start their season in a little over a month for now. Fans anticipating watching their favorite basketball team play can now know where to find them.
The team announced on Thursday the television viewing schedule for the upcoming season. 76 of the 82 games will be broadcast on Bally Sports. The remaining six regular games are TNT-exclusive telecasts.
Those six games on TNT will be Oct. 25 vs. Dallas, Nov. 15 vs. Memphis, Jan. 31 at Denver, Feb. 7 vs. Atlanta, Mar. 28 at Golden State, and Mar. 30 at Denver. In June, in a somewhat controversial move, the Pelicans renewed their local broadcast partnership rights with Bally Sports for the upcoming season and beyond. "Our fans want to consume Pelicans games with the least amount of friction," vice president of communications and broadcasting Greg Bensel said in June.
"The landscape in providing those options is quickly evolving. It is affecting many teams; this is not unique to us. We need to be positioned today and in the immediate future to meet our fans where they are, where they watch games."
Many local fans voiced their displeasure with the move as Bally's is launching a pricey streaming service this fall and lacks options for viewership. The monthly streaming cost will be $19.99 a month or $189.99 annually. The caveat is only local broadcasting will be available, so users will not be able to follow multiple teams across Bally's network. Considering NBA League Pass costs $100 annually for standard access and $130 for premium, you can see why Pelicans fans have bemoaned the move.
Bally Sports is available through various providers, such as Cox Communications and DirectTV. Still, the many cord-cutting customers on YouTube TV, Hulu TV, Sling, and others are left in the dark unless they subscribe to the Bally+ streaming option.
Those tuning in will still see familiar faces on the broadcast as play-by-play announcer Joel Myers and color TV analyst Antonio Daniels will again be calling the games. Joining them will be sideline reporter Jennifer Hale for her eleventh season with the team.
Hale recently inked a deal with Fox Sports to be the permanent moderator on Undisputed with Skip and Shannon. Hale says the new gig will not take away from her responsibilities with the New Orleans Pelicans as she will split time between Los Angeles and New Orleans.
However, Pelicans fans who get to watch the team this season will need to finalize their plans quickly as the season fast approaches. One thing is sure, this season will be memorable for the Pelicans. With the hype and anticipation surrounding this team on a local and national level, there will be many eyes on the Pelicans this year.
