The Arizona Coyotes’ 2023-24 season began on October 13, 2023, with a 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils. That same day, Bally Sports Arizona, who had been the primary TV home of the Arizona Coyotes, officially announced that they would no longer be providing coverage for teams in the state.
Hockey fans may not have been paying attention to the Bally Sports/Diamond bankruptcy case during the off-season. The Hockey News has a good article from July 18th, and The Tennessean has a report from March 15th discussing possible implications. Still, both pieces take it for granted that things continue as normal. Indeed, the various hockey insiders didn’t account for the loss of the broadcaster for 12 NHL teams when they declared the salary cap was definitely going to be going up by a lot next season.
And while the Coyotes and the state of Arizona were the first to fall, things aren’t looking that great for other Bally broadcasters. The games are still being broadcast, but there appears to be an uptick in technical issues for the battered company.
This brings us back to the Coyotes and how fans and I watched the Coyotes beat the Devils to start the season.
On October 5th, eight days before the game, the Coyotes and Scripps Sports announced a multi-year deal to air hockey in Arizona and nearby states. The games would be played over the Antenna TV network and on COX (the local cable company). Scripps Sports isn’t a big company, but they aren’t unheard of in hockey. A month before they announced their deal with the Coyotes, they announced a partnership with the Vegas Golden Knights for a service called KnightTime+, which carried 69 games for $69.99. Games are also available over the air, but KnightTime+ allows fans to watch on other devices.
As someone born in the 80s, the thought of returning to an antenna frightened me a little, especially for something like sports, which requires a clear channel. And while there have been some technical issues, they appear to be fewer than watching the games on the Bally Sports app on my Roku.
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The antenna I purchased the day of the game was extremely cheap and easy to set up. It was less than $20 at my local Target and came with just the antenna, which screws into the TV. The broadcasts are very clear, and I have noticed only minor audio and visual errors during game broadcasts.
You can not imagine how happy I was when I learned that I could officially watch 81 games, legitimately, for less than $20. Up until last season, the cost of watching hockey was either a cable subscription, which wasn’t cheap, or having a family member who had one who let you use their password and was willing to send you the login code that got texted to them. Bally Sports didn’t make many friends with their business strategy or pricing, which could partially explain why they are in bankruptcy court.
But while I have had no complaints, some fans have noted frustration with the system. There are people who, for whatever reason, have been unable to get antennas to work, either because of their location or building. I live in a central part of Phoenix, so I felt comfortable springing for a cheap antenna, but if you are on the outskirts, you may want to spring for a higher range, which costs more.
Weather could prove to be a problem, but that is more likely to affect people in other states. Outside of monsoon season, Arizona isn’t known for its rainstorms.
Fans have also pointed to issues with playback, which could be very useful in sports, or wishing it was available on their existing setup or something like YouTube TV. And fair enough, there is something to be said with making broadcasts as easy to watch as possible.
But, on the whole, I have to say that the Coyotes’ venture into antenna broadcasts has been a success. Regional Sports Networks seem to be in a bad place economically speaking, but a blast from the past could save you if your local team finds themselves without a network in the coming months.