Cavs, others add DirecTV, but TV frustrations aren’t over

The Cavs have another way for fans to watch. Whether it’s a way those fans actually use is another question.

DirecTV and DAZN announced a multiyear agreement Monday covering local broadcasts for the Cavs, Pacers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Spurs. The deal includes DirecTV streaming, satellite and U-verse customers within each team’s designated home territory, per DirecTV’s announcement.

That expands on the satellite option Hoops Wire covered over the weekend. If you already have one of those services, good news. Finding the Cavs just got easier.

If you have Spectrum, YouTube TV or another provider? Well, this announcement probably isn’t going to improve your mood.

The move to DAZN has become a public relations nightmare for the Cavs, with frustrated fans asking why watching their local team requires another subscription. Some of the responses in my mentions suggest adding DirecTV isn’t exactly winning everyone back.

The agreement does reach beyond satellite customers, which is worth pointing out. But fans who don’t subscribe to any of the included services still face the same question they had before Monday. What else do they need to buy?

There are also questions about package requirements and whether existing DAZN subscribers who qualify through DirecTV have any refund options. The announcement on X didn’t spell those out.

More distribution is progress. It gives some fans an option they wanted and the Cavs a better answer than they had last week.

But the fans still looking for their team on the service they already pay for probably aren’t ready to applaud.