Just before the start of the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks announced the final details of its broadcast plans for the all-new MavsTV.
The revolutionary broadcast strategy will air all non-nationally televised games free over-the-air on TEGNA's KFAA 29 in the DFW Metroplex, with select games simulcast on WFAA 8.
Additionally, the team announced a direct-to-consumer streaming service, MavsTV Stream, which will allow fans to watch games through the NBA's Next Gen integrated digital platform in the NBA app for an annual or monthly fee. MFFLs who subscribe to the yearly plan will receive either a $75 merchandise gift card or a pair of tickets to an upcoming game while supplies last.
With this unprecedented shift from the Regional Sports Network (RSN) model, Mavs.com caught up with award-winning broadcaster Mark Followill for more insight on the latest announcements.
You have 30-plus years of broadcasting experience; did you predict the RSN model would transition to the point we're at now?
"There was a domino effect with the RSN model. Fox managed them for many years before selling them as part of a large group of assets to Disney in 2018. When that happened, the Justice Department approved the sale of assets, but because Disney owned ESPN, they were required to sell the Regional Sports Networks to prevent a monopoly in the marketplace.
So, they sold them to Sinclair and Diamond Sports Group, and that was kind of their entry into the field.
Cord-cutting obviously was starting to change how we watch TV, and when the pandemic hit, sports went away for a few months and consumers began even more rapidly adopting new ways of acquiring the channels and programs they wanted to watch...like the streaming services.
The way services like YouTube TV and Hulu offer cost-competitive skinny bundles is because they don't carry, at least for now, and absorb the subscriber fees associated with Regional Sports Networks that are ultimately passed along to the consumer.
It's a very complicated and long answer to the question, but no, I did not anticipate this kind of disruption to the local team telecast model and the decline in subscribers and availability of RSNs on different cable providers and OTT (over-the-top) streaming services."
Why are some teams finding it necessary to pivot and create their own broadcasts?
"The RSN model, which was very lucrative for 30 years, is changing rapidly. What teams are trying to do, first and foremost, is find a way to deliver their product to the most eyeballs possible. That's goal number one.
Media rights fees have been extremely important revenue streams for teams, so now goal number two is trying to figure out a way to continue to monetize broadcast rights in the best way possible while prioritizing the most important thing -- making games available to as many people as possible."
Why is MavsTV a game-changer for fans and the Dallas Mavericks brand?
"It's a game-changer because there's a chance for every person in what is now the fourth-largest television market in the country to see the Mavericks on free TV.
We've done what several NBA teams pivoting away from the RSN model are doing by adopting free over-the-air broadcast television, supplemented by a streaming app.
Not only is MavsTV a game-changer for the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, but the Mavs put together a statewide network to reach fans across Texas in the markets permitted by the NBA. Also, we've added a direct-to-consumer streaming component because we understand the desire for second screen and on-the-go viewing.
This is delivering the product to as many people as possible.
The other thing I would add about what makes this a game-changer relative to what other NBA teams are doing is the partnership with a major network affiliate, WFAA. They just celebrated their 75th anniversary, and they are a station that has an immense amount of gravitas in this marketplace.
When you say the call letters WFAA, everybody knows who it is. Their enthusiasm and promotion when Mavs games are not only on KFAA but on WFAA is extremely valuable for our product."
What do you know about over-the-air television, and why is this free option something MFFLs should be excited about?
"What I've learned about over-the-air television is that an estimate of 20%-30% of the nation's television households are taking advantage of OTA TV from an antenna for some of their television consumption, with Millennials aged 25 to 44 seeing the most significant growth in usage.
Market research points to a growing trend where rather than subscribing to a traditional pay TV cable bundle or a skinny bundle OTT streaming service, people are deciding to combine streaming services with a digital antenna to pull in local over-the-air channels for an even more cost-effective TV setup.
I'm a YouTube TV subscriber, so I went out and bought a digital antenna, and I've been experimenting with some different ones. I've found a couple that work well, and it's been a fun path to travel and learn more about antennas and some technical aspects of the television industry.
The really interesting thing about over-the-air TV that I didn't understand is the absolutely amazing picture clarity.
You are getting the transmission of the broadcast directly from the towers to your television set, whereas when you subscribe to cable, satellite, or streaming, you're getting a retransmission. Even though that may not compromise the quality of the broadcast a ton, it is a second-generation transmission.
I do think there are some people who look at the technology and feel it's outdated, but the reality is, to reiterate, market research will tell you that the numbers point to the growing usage of antennas for over-the-air stations.
But it's important to remember that audience behavior is not monolithic, and hopefully, there is something here for everyone that provides a solution to an issue that clearly doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution."
What can Mavs fans expect to see during this year's game broadcasts?
"They're going to see a different look because graphics, music, scorebug, etc., were provided by our RSN in the past, so there will be things that look different in that regard.
However, generally speaking, they're going to see the same people they've seen for many years enthusiastically bringing you Mavericks basketball in the way we love to do.
We want to have fun, we want to tell great stories, and most of all, we want more people to be able to see our product.
After last year's experience on WFAA and the enormous jump in viewership in those games, it's energizing for us that more people will be able to watch."
How has the transition and preparation been from your perspective as the team gears up for the first regular season MavsTV broadcast on Oct. 26?
"I'm just the play-by-play guy, you know, so for me, there hasn't been much of a transition other than I've really tried to immerse myself in the modern trends of the sports media landscape, and specifically, as it reverts to local team telecast.
But where the real preparation is happening is behind the scenes.
The tremendous value of the RSN model was a relatively turnkey infrastructure to produce games. The scope of what people are doing in the Mavs offices is almost hard to wrap your head around it's so massive and extensive.
You have to find studio space to do pre- and postgame shows when the team is on the road. You have to find a new graphics package, make a deal with your stats provider, get your music licensing in order, and hire people to produce content for shoulder programming on KFAA 29, for example.
I'm very grateful that our ownership and executive team, led by Patrick Dumont and Cynt Marshall, have put an enormous emphasis on MavsTV because we want to be at the cutting edge of what NBA teams do in terms of producing content for their broadcast.
For the Mavericks, there is less coming in with rights fees and more going out in terms of building this broadcasting operation from the ground up, but, in the long run, we will all benefit because it's going to be a great product accessible to millions."
MavsTV will air its first games on KFAA 29 and MavsTV Stream on Saturday, Oct. 26, when the Mavericks face the Phoenix Suns at 9 p.m. CT.
Followill will be joined on-air by Mavs legends Derek Harper and Devin Harris, Dana Larson, Lesley McCaslin, Jeff "Skin" Wade, and a rotation of guest analysts.
Fans can also listen to every game this season in English on The Eagle 97.1 FM with Chuck Cooperstein and Brian Dameris, and in Spanish on Zona MX 99.1 FM with Victor Villalba.