The Memphis Grizzlies have become the latest NBA franchise to shift their local broadcast distribution to the DAZN OTT platform, following a swathe of other teams migrating to the streaming service.
Through this new multi-year deal, DAZN will showcase every Grizzlies game not selected for national TV coverage (78 in the 2026-27 campaign), live across the Grizzlies’ local broadcast area.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Of those 78 games, DAZN will air 15 for free on its app, simulcast on over-the-air linear local broadcast stations
Coverage will begin with all four of the Grizzlies’ pre-season games, also free over-the-air, which begin on October 6, before the season tips off in earnest on October 22.
In addition, DAZN will also broadcast Grizzlies-produced shoulder content and ancillary programming throughout the season, as well as select fixtures featuring the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBA G-League developmental affiliate.
Speaking on the deal, DAZN Group chief executive Shay Segev said: ““The way fans consume sport is changing. They expect every game, on any screen, with an experience that’s flexible, personalized, interactive, and digital-first.”
“That’s exactly why we’ve partnered with the Memphis Grizzlies and become the exclusive home for Grizzlies basketball for fans across the Mid-South. From free-to-view games and alternative broadcasts to multi-view experiences and premium live and on-demand content, we’re creating a richer destination for Grizzlies fans every day of the season.”
The wide-ranging Grizzlies local market area includes Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, Missouri, Central and Southern Illinois, and Eastern Arkansas, meaning DAZN can now stake a claim to a large broadcast territory in its efforts to expand in the US.
This tie-up comes on the back of DAZN sealing similar deals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and San Antonio Spurs earlier this month.
The streamer has also partnered with the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves in recent weeks.
Monumental Sports Network, the regional sports channel for the Washington, DC area, announced a new distribution deal with DAZN this month through which it will carry its Monumental+ app that provides local Washington Wizards broadcasts.
DAZN is week by week partnering with more and more of the 13 NBA teams whose rights are on the market after Main Street Sports Group (MSSG), owner of the now-defunct regional broadcast network FanDuel Sports Network, announced it was winding down operations earlier this year.
Thus far, DAZN has swept up over half of those franchises on either direct local broadcast deals or carriage agreements (as with Monumental).
At the beginning of 2026, DAZN was in talks to acquire MSSG, and with it a wide swathe of local MLB, NBA, and NHL rights, but that deal never came to fruition, with MSSG then falling into insolvency following the 2025-26 NHL campaign.
DAZN made its long-awaited entry into the US local broadcast market earlier this year, sweeping up the local rights to New York’s NBA, MLB, and NHL teams through a pair of new carriage agreements with MSG Networks (MSGN) and YES Network.
As part of that deal, DAZN becomes the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of seven elite New York-area (city and state) sports teams, including the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, however, have decided to go down a different route, announcing a new hybrid broadcast model to show games locally in the 2026-27 season.
The franchise last week unveiled the Thunder Gameday Network, which includes Thunder+, a new direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service available through the NBA App across the five-state Thunder broadcast region.
In addition, there is enhanced local and regional television distribution through Griffin Media, Cox, DirecTV, and other participating providers. The options also include a select number of free over-the-air games.
