The Utah Jazz announce a direct-to-consumer streaming service for future games

The Utah Jazz have announced a new streaming service but we have concerns.

On Aug. 11, 2023, the Utah Jazz announced a partnership with Kiswe, a technology company out of Murray Hill, New Jersey, to create a streaming platform for the Jazz to air their games on. Kiswe is no stranger to developing said services for pro leagues, having worked with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the Phoenix Mercury, and Suns and also working with the Pro Fighters League as well.

They seem to be a very good partner to have and should develop a platform that fans find engaging and easy to use.  There is no timetable for the service just yet, but the early word is that an announcement regarding the release date and the price for the service will be announced sometime in September. It seems like the service should be ready by the start of the regular season.

This will go hand in hand with airing games on KJZZ-TV about airing games over the air as well.

There’s just one problem; streaming is a bubble about to burst. How will that impact the plans the Jazz have with Kiswe? With reports that just about every streaming service, safe for maybe Hulu evidently, is losing money hand over fist, what do the Jazz and owner Ryan Smith really think is going to happen to this venture?

Does he believe it is necessary and is willing to eat any losses that will likely come from this service? If so, no worries. But if he’s hoping to develop this into a new revenue stream, then fans may be out of luck in a few years when it becomes clear that it isn’t worth the money.

Plus, if it’s an expensive streaming service, say $15 or so a month, will people even want to get it if they can just buy a simple antenna and watch the game for free (assuming they’re local)? This is a big gamble at the tail end of a bubble period for the industry, and when it pops, because it absolutely will, will smaller streaming services even survive?

If it’s just for ease of access and Smith is less concerned about making money off of it and more concerned with it being an easy way for fans to watch the game when they’re not in market, then it’ll work wonders.

Any other lofty expectations, however, should be tapered.