At this time next month, the Pacers will be back in town, prepping for the start of training camp at the end of September. The glimmer of light from this long, dark offseason tunnel is finally coming into view.
The Pacers recently announced their schedule which starts off with a clunker of a game on the road at New Orleans. Hardly the way to celebrate the return of Tyrese Haliburton, but it remains the first of 82 games and this collective group of Pacers with a couple of key new faces in Ivica Zubac and Kelly Oubre have to be excited to play anyone, anywhere, anytime in their quest to return to being an elite team in the East.
This uneventful offseason which tried to squeeze storylines out of players the Pacers won’t be playing, if they do indeed hit their elite stride once again, but they will have some solid short-term depth, if needed with Quenton Jackson, Larry Nance, Jr. and Ben Sheppard.
One topic of intrigue this offseason that I was probably asked about more than anything was how fans would be able to watch the Pacers on TV after the demise of the FanDuel Sports Network.
With no other options nor any open local television channels to utilize, the Pacers have gone the route of a few other NBA teams and partnered up with DAZN for local broadcasts. Concerns about having to use an app and pay a high monthly fee has been a strong and valid concern for many.
However, it appears the Pacers and DAZN are trying to make the best of the situation with several discounts and free games mixed in, including several shown on a local channel.
So here’s how the 82-game broadcast schedule breaks down in general:
For starters, the Pacers have 11 games broadcast on national TV on ESPN, NBC or Prime Video.
22 of the remaining games will be shown for free on DAZN, with 15 of those 22 games shown on a local over-the-air channel in Indy. Preseason games will also be free on DAZN.
The remaining 49 games will be available via the DAZN app to stream live or on-demand on your smart TV, laptop, phone or other streaming devices you have laying around the house. The ‘local’ area for streaming on DAZN includes Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
So, yeah, the games are available but how much will it cost?
Pacers fans will need to buy a Season Pass on DAZN which normally costs $119.99 for the season. Fortunately, DAZN is offering an early bird discount for the Season Pass at just $59.99 which ends up making the cost roughly $1 per game for the season.
Also, Pacers season ticket holder will get a free Season Pass as a perk with their tickets. In addition to the Season Pass option, fans can pay $19.99 per month (similar to FDSN) for a Monthly Pass, with other promotions and discounts offered throughout the season.
The same Pacers television broadcast crew with Chris Denari, Quinn Bucker, Jeremiah Johnson and Eddie Gill will work the games. They will offer extended pregame and postgame coverage and highlights with additional original programming all about the Pacers.
So, yeah it stinks you have to get yet another app (hear this a lot, too), but at least you can delete the flawed FanDuel Sports Network app as the Pacers and the NBA move into a new era of local broadcasting.
Now about those games. First up, a preseason matchup against the Timberwolves in Ames, Iowa at Iowa State where Tyrese Haliburton’s return will be celebrated on a few different levels. Can’t wait!
UZZU is 129.99 for the year too, but that gets you ALL NBA games and most ALL MLB games. And most NFL games, etc etc etc
No "start from beginning" or vcr controls, LIVE only, but most every game.
Best deal in tv sports. (shhhhhh)