Pacers TV home changes name ahead of season opener
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Pacers have a new TV home — sort of.
The team announced Monday that Bally Sports Indiana is changing to the FanDuel Sports Network, which will broadcast 76 of the 82 regular season games. While the name changes, the channel on your cable, satellite or streaming provider will not.
This news comes after years of uncertain futures with Bally Sports, whose parent company Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in March 2023. Last November, the NBA and Diamond Sports reached an agreement to keep the Pacers on the Bally Sports Indiana channel through the end of the season.
Now, Diamond Sports has made a new partnership with FanDuel — the gambling company and emerging broadcasting giant. The deal gives FanDuel exclusive naming rights to all of Diamond’s regional sports networks, changing all the Bally Sports channels to FanDuel Sports Network. It also will add the FanDuel TV original media — like Kay Adams’ show “Up & Adams” — to the channel programming.
David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, told ESPN that this will “elevate the fan experience and deepen ‘the incremental value we provide for our team, league and distribution partners.’”
This partnership extends beyond coverage of the Indiana Pacers. Diamond’s 16 regional networks cover 12 other NBA teams, eight MLB teams including the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, and eight NHL teams including the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Pacers fans in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and around St. Louis can find the FanDuel Sports Network in the same place as where Bally Sports Indiana has been on their network guide. That includes providers like DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Spectrum, Xfinity and U-verse TV. Xfinity customers will have to have the Ultimate TV package for FanDuel Sports Network to be included.
All 76 games will also be available to stream through the FanDuel Sports Network app, as long as consumers have a subscription to one of the aforementioned cable, satellite or streaming plans.
The Pacers said the broadcast plans for the regular season games during the week of December 9 will be released closer to the dates. Those games will be affected by the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, which take place December 10, 11, 14 and 17.
Pacers’ longtime play-by-play announcer Chris Denari will be returning under the FanDuel Sports Network umbrella, along with analyst Quinn Buckner. Jeremiah Johnson and Eddie Gill will also be back with the broadcast team.
Indiana’s NBA team tips off the regular season on the road against the Detroit Pistons Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. ET. The Pacers home opener will be against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3:30 p.m.
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