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Editor's Note: After this article was published, the Jazz said they worked with the NBA league office to ensure that anybody that bought an NBA League Pass before the Jazz announcement and is in a blacked out area will be given a full refund for their subscription.
Fans who bought League Pass before Jazz+ was expanded will also receive a refund to purchase Jazz+ instead. Requests can be submitted at http://support.watch.nba.com.
SALT LAKE CITY — On Tuesday morning, the Utah Jazz announced they had expanded their broadcast territory.
The quick specifics: Fans in southeast Idaho and western Wyoming now have access to Jazz+ and KJZZ through Fubo TV. Meanwhile, those in the rest of Idaho, Montana and the eastern parts of Washington and Oregon can watch games on Root Sports, the regional sports network primarily owned by the Seattle Mariners.
The team celebrated it as a way to reach upwards of six million people in the expanded region.
So ... all good news, right? Well, not exactly.
The announcement has left some out-of-state fans feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under them.
Logan Cox has lived in the Boise-Nampa area for the last 12 years. Boise has long been part of the Jazz broadcast territory, meaning Cox and other fans in the region faced the same struggles fans in Utah did with the last broadcast deal; namely, there were no cord-cutting options. It was either pay for a pricey TV package or don't watch games.
That frustration all seemed to have ended this season.
The Jazz made great in-roads in providing better streaming and TV options. KJZZ is a free over-the-air station and Jazz+ is a direct-to-consumer streaming service that has received rave reviews from fans.
When Jazz+ was announced, Cox assumed Boise, like it had been for so many years, would be included in the territory; it wasn't. But there appeared to be a saving grace: On the Jazz+ website, it reads, "If you are outside of the Jazz+ coverage area, sign up for NBA League Pass."
Since Boise was outside the area, Cox headed to the league's streaming service and put in his zip code. To his surprise, it worked. There were no blackout restrictions except for national TV games.
"We've always been blacked out, so that's why we were excited," Cox said.
Everyone seemed happy. The in-state fans had everything they wanted (well, except for DVR options), and out-of-state fans either had Jazz+ or League Pass.
And then Tuesday came.
After the new media deal was announcement, fans in the Root Sports markets were, once again, subject to Jazz games being blacked out. Just like that, the cost to watch Jazz games went from $100 per season to potentially $100 per month. Oh, and the impacted fans suddenly had to scramble to find a way to watch their team a day before the regualr season tipped off.
"First of all, the timing is terrible — the night before the season starts," Cox said. "It's just an awful time to do that. The second thing that's frustrating is that they kind of ripped away something they told us we could do, so that's frustrating. The third thing is there are no real answers on how we resolve these problems."
Jazz owner Ryan Smith said the team is looking into options for the affected group.
"We'll get it figured out. Like, I promise we'll get it all figured out with League Pass and blackouts working with the NBA," Smith said. "I'll just tell fans right now, send me your receipt of your League Pass, your zip code, some verification, and I'll give you a Jazz+ account. Like, there you go. Solved."
Yes, that would solve the issues of fans double paying for services in the newly expanded Jazz+ areas, but not for those like Cox and others in the Root Sports market. A team spokesperson said the Jazz won't be expanding Jazz+ there this season, but the team is exploring all options for future seasons.
So for now, Jazz fans in the Root Sports area are essentially back to where they were last season — go find a TV or streaming service that has Root Sports or not watch their favorite team (Fubo TV seems to be the easiest option, at the moment).
"I understand the excitement in Utah (about KJZZ and Jazz+), but the message didn't help anybody," Cox said. "The message was let's pat ourselves on the back, and all it did was hurt the people they were claiming to be helping."
The Jazz defended the decision, pointing out the potential for growth that such a move creates.
"Anytime you can go from where we started with about 1.2 million people consuming games (last season), and then go into the whole state with 3.3 million to another 3 million (with the Northwest expansion), you basically jumped market size," Smith said.
Essentially, it's a long play to get more eyes on the team and thus create a larger brand and fan base. The plan is similar to how the Atlanta Braves created a national following due to their presence on TBS.
"The Root Sports territory and subscribers are so much greater than the number of fans who have League Pass, so we looked at the greatest distribution," a Jazz spokesperson said.
It may very well lead to a bigger Jazz audience in the future. For now, though, it left many current fans feeling frustrated.
