OKLAHOMA CITY—In another example how the financial problems of regional sports networks are allowing broadcasters to pick up rights to professional sports, the Oklahoma City Thunder has announced an agreement between the NBA and Bally Sports that will expand the TV reach of Friday games during the rest of the 2023-24 regular season to broadcast stations owned by Griffin Media and others.
As a result of the deal, the Thunder and Oklahoma-owned Griffin Media announced Thunder Friday Nights, a partnership to televise the remaining eight Friday regular-season games for free, over the air with the use of an HD antenna, as well as on cable and satellite providers.
The games will air on Griffin stations KSBI, Ch. 52 in Oklahoma City and News On 6 Now Ch. 6.3 in Tulsa. The games will also be carried on COX (Ch. 7 in OKC, Ch 53 in Tulsa), other cable outlets, and DirecTV and Dish in OKC (Ch. 52).
The first of these eight broadcasts will be Friday, Jan. 26 when the Thunder plays at New Orleans.
In addition to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets, the Thunder has partnered with several stations in the region to carry these games on outlets owned by Gray Television in Wichita, Kan. and Lawton, Okla./Wichita Falls, Texas and on the Morgan Murphy Media owned station in Joplin, Mo./Pittsburg, Kan.
Regional markets outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa are subject to NBA approval, based on league broadcast territory rules.
It is estimated those broadcasts in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and the other markets will be available for approximately 2 million homes across Oklahoma and the region.
The NBA and Diamond Sports Group reached an agreement to allow teams to join with local broadcasters for a limited number of over-the-air games during the remainder of the regular season. Diamond Sports, which is undergoing a restructuring in bankruptcy court, is the owner of Bally Sports Oklahoma.
The eight Friday games will not be available on Bally Sports Oklahoma or Bally Sports+ streaming. Aside from the Friday games and four games exclusively airing nationally on TNT, all other remaining Thunder games this season will be broadcast and streamed by Bally Sports Oklahoma and Bally Sports+ as normal.
“For 70 years, the Griffin family has been a pioneering force in our community and the television industry, and we are particularly proud to partner with a locally-owned broadcaster that brings such a deep connection and commitment to all Oklahomans," said Clay Bennett, chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder. “The Thunder is grateful for the loyal support we receive from our fans across Oklahoma and the region. We look forward to providing them this additional access to our game broadcasts.”
"Griffin Media is proud to partner with the Oklahoma City Thunder to bring this incredible season of Thunder basketball to even more Oklahoma homes through our locally-owned television stations,” said David Griffin, chairman and CEO of Griffin. “Our mission is to keep Oklahomans safe, informed and entertained, and partnering with the Oklahoma City Thunder in broadcasting these Friday Night games further instills our commitment to our state and our fellow Oklahomans.”
“This is a tremendous opportunity from the NBA and Bally Sports that allows us to increase our fans’ ability to watch Friday games free and over the air this season, said Dan Mahoney, Thunder vice president of Broadcasting. “How and where games are shown next season and beyond remains uncertain, but for now we are pleased to have this chance to expand our reach.”
The eight Thunder Friday Night games are:
