Pelicans Announce New Streaming Service Launch Ahead of Regular Season

The team's new streaming service comes one week before the start of the regular season.

Apr 12, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Pelicans logo at mid court before the Play-In game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans regular season starts next week, and the team ensures fans have access to all their games. New Orleans announced its Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network launch earlier this summer. Under a partnership with Gray Media, millions of viewers across the Gulf Coast can now watch Pelicans games at home via free, over-the-air television.

Gray Media will broadcast 75 of the 82 regular-season games on the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network this season, with the remaining games broadcast on National TV. Now, the Pelicans are partnering with Kiswe, a leading cloud-based video company, to stream live Pelicans games to direct-to-consumer (DTC) audiences through the newly announced Pelicans+ app.

The team's exclusive streaming platform, which will be Pelicans-branded, will offer fans the ability to watch every available Pelicans game alongside the over-the-air broadcast on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or Smart TV, plus access to original team content and behind-the-scenes footage. The streaming service is limited to viewers inside the Pelicans coverage territory.

"Pelicans+ was designed to be accessible, affordable, and flexible to suit every fan's needs," Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said. "Fans can now watch any available Pelicans game from anywhere in our market with this new streaming service."

Pricing for season-long subscriptions to Pelicans+ will be $99.99 for the upcoming 2024-25 season, and monthly subscriptions will be $14.99 per month. More importantly, making Pelicans games available to more consumers helps build the brand among a broad customer base.

New Orleans experimented last season by broadcasting seven regular-season games with Gray Television. The Pelicans' former broadcast partner, Bally Sports, had its parent company, Diamond Sports, file for bankruptcy earlier in the year. Viewership went up 260% on the Gray Television telecasts compared to the normal broadcast from Bally Sports. With an eventual split between the team and Bally Sports, a full pivot to Gray Television made sense.

Now, fans have a variety of ways to watch the Pelicans play.

Expectations are high this season after New Orleans won 49 games and made the playoffs for the second time in three years. The team added a premier playmaker in Dejounte Murray this offseason to pair alongside Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum. Head Coach Willie Green has increased his win total in three seasons with the team. Doing so this year would mean a 50-win season, something the franchise has only accomplished once.

The Pelicans went 1-2 during the preseason, but Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson never played together on the court. New Orleans opens its regular season at home against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 23.