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SALT LAKE CITY — A near-11th hour deal has been struck, and it should help cure some frustration among Utah Jazz fans.
On Monday, fuboTV announced an agreement to carry AT&T SportsNet, the television home of the Jazz, during the 2021-22 season.
In the coming days, the regional sports network will launch in Utah and Nevada providing an olive branch for fans of the Jazz (and Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL) who were searching for more ways to watch their team.
"The availability of streaming choices and digital consumption remains a top priority for our organization," Utah Jazz president Jim Olson said last week. "We respect all the different ways that fans want to watch and enjoy Jazz games. Today's broadcast model is about access and connectivity. It is a process as we work with existing contracts, current partners and third-party providers to find the best delivery method for our fan base."
At the time that he said that, the availability of streaming options — at least legal ones — were extremely limited to fans in Utah. Dish Network dropped the network, leaving fans in Utah really only three options: an Xfinitiy TV package, DirecTV or DirecTV stream.
DirecTV stream was the only pure streaming option, and the cheapest package that included the Jazz's television distributor was $85. The starter package for fuboTV is $65, and will include AT&T Sporta, though a Regional Sports Fee may be added on.
A bonus for Utah sports fans: The streaming service also has the Pac-12 Network and NFL Red Zone.
"fuboTV continues on our mission to bring consumers their favorite hometown teams, alongside national and international sports coverage, at an affordable price," said Ben Grad, senior vice president of content strategy and acquisition for fuboTV. "Today's partnership agreement with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will bring sports fans streaming coverage of some of their favorite local teams — just in time for the NBA and NHL seasons. We're thrilled to welcome another AT&T SportsNet RSN to fuboTV."
Here's an updated list of how to watch Jazz games along the Wasatch Front — legally:
Xfinity/Comcast: A middle of the road TV package gets you access to AT&T SportsNet. The price tag for this package says $70, but be prepared for fees on top of that: broadcast TV fee, Regions Sports fee, a TV box, more potential equipment rentals — it all adds up fast.
DirecTV: New customers can get a promo deal for the first year if they sign a two-year contract, but then there's the second year. For the first 12 months, a "Choice" package will get fans AT&T SportsNet for $69 per month. For the second 12 months, however, that bill will soar north of $120.
DirecTV stream: The lone package ("Choice") that includes AT&T SportsNet is $85. This has what has caused so much frustration among fans. DirecTV stream is the most expensive of the premium TV streaming services — Sling, YouTube TV, fuboTV — and was the only option for Jazz fans … until now.
fuboTV: After Monday's announcement, fuboTV said the $65 "Starter" pack will include access to Jazz games. But that comes with this caveat: "Customers in certain areas will be subject to a regional sports fee." That information — along with when the network will start streaming on the platform — should be announced in the coming days.
