The Trail Blazers have "agreed to a four-year contract extension with CSN Northwest" to continue their longstanding broadcast partnership through '21, according to Joe Freeman of the Portland OREGONIAN. The extension, which will "no doubt rankle Blazers fans with satellite television subscriptions, ends months of negotiations and internal organizational debate about the direction the team should take regarding the future of its game broadcasts." Team insiders "quietly expected the Blazers to end" the partnership, in large part because CSNNW "does not have national distribution agreements with satellite television companies DirecTV and Dish Network." The Blazers came to the conclusion that CSNNW, which reaches 55% of the Portland market, offers the "broadest distribution in the region." Sources said that Blazers President & CEO Chris McGowan and his team "explored a television/internet combination in which games would have aired on local television affiliate KPTV and simultaneously streamed over the internet through a separate streaming partner." However, the sources added that the option ended because the Blazers' "potential streaming partners evaporated at the 11th hour." The Blazers then "moved to Plan B and Root Sports Northwest emerged as a possible new regional partner." Root offered a "longer deal worth more total money than Comcast." Freeman notes Blazers Owner Paul Allen was "not interested in securing the most lucrative deal" and wanted a partner with the "widest reach." Root's distribution agreement with Comcast will end soon and the Blazers were "worried it might not be renewed." Root was only able to "guarantee distribution on DirecTV," which reaches 33% of the Portland market. The Blazers included terms in their new contract that incentivizes CSNNW to "expand distribution." By settling on a shorter deal, the Blazers have "flexibility to reevaluate the broadcast landscape sooner" (OREGONLIVE.com, 7/6).
FANS SPEAK OUT: OREGONLIVE.com asked Trail Blazers fans for their opinions about the team's new deal with CSNNW. The following are some excerpts from those comments:
* "This is miserable. I thought they were looking to change this for the better!!"
* "For saving a few bucks, you just killed off the next generation of fans whose parents cannot afford cable. Very short-sighted."
* "You can blame Comcast the first time around, but now it's all the Blazers fault for going back to them when there was another option available."
* "It's unfortunate that the Blazers couldn't have done better. It seems like they didn't have a lot of options once the KPTV/streaming option fizzled-out."
* "Sorry folks, but reaching more audience with CSN makes more sense than less audience with ROOT."
* "Paul Allen doesn't seem to factor in the feelings of long time Blazer fans. He can take his circus home to Seattle where he belongs" (OREGONLIVE.com, 7/6).
TWITTER REAX: Portland Oregonian columnist and KXTG-AM radio host John Canzano: "Blazers TV deal hits harder than franchise’s free agent flop. Caller asks if fans would boycott games next season. So would you? ... distribution doesn’t matter in my household but I feel for those who are caught in the gears."
