On Tuesday the Utah Jazz announced two new developments for their broadcast plans.
First, the KJZZ and Jazz+ streaming service territory was expanded to include parts of western Wyoming and southeast Idaho. Second, the Jazz entered into a deal with Root Sports to continue distribution of Jazz games in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and parts of eastern Oregon and Washington.
For those who have a cable or other type of subscription that includes Root Sports, and for those in parts of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming where Jazz games are now broadcast where they weren’t previously, this was good news.
But, for many, this came as a poorly-timed shock.
Some fans within the Root Sports territory had long waited for a day when a pricy TV package wouldn’t be necessary to watch Jazz games. Other streaming services, like the NBA’s League Pass, had previously been subject to blackout rules, which meant games available on a regional sports network are not shown on League Pass in real time, but instead are blacked out until hours after the game concludes.
When the Jazz’s previous deal with AT&T SportsNet ended — and with it AT&T’s distribution of Jazz games to Root Sports — fans in that territory believed that they would be able to finally purchase the more reasonably priced League Pass subscription through the NBA and watch Jazz games — and they believed this because on the Jazz+ website, it says so.
“If you are outside of the Jazz+ coverage area, sign up for NBA League Pass,” the website reads.
So fans did exactly that.
But on Tuesday, opening day of the 2023-24 NBA season and the day before the Jazz’s season opener, the new announcement from the Jazz meant that out-of-state fans who live in Root Sports territory and purchased League Pass are right back where they started. Their League Pass subscriptions won’t allow them to watch Jazz games and their only legal way of watching Jazz games is to pony up for the more expensive subscriptions that include Root Sports.
“We have worked with the NBA League Office to make sure that anyone who is in the ROOT Sports market who bought NBA League Pass before our announcement and is now blacked out from Jazz games will be given a full refund for their LP subscription,” a Jazz spokesperson said. “Fans who bought LP before Jazz+ was expanded to those new markets in Idaho and Wyoming will also be submitted a refund, upon request, so they can purchase a Jazz+ subscription instead.”
Those wishing to submit a request for a refund can do so here.
Terms of the new deal between the Jazz and Root Sports were not disclosed so the length of the deal is unknown. So, until that deal expires, Jazz fans in those markets who aren’t willing or able to pay for a cable or other subscription that includes Root Sports won’t have any other way to access live Jazz games.