Ken Carman isn’t sold on the Cavaliers’ new TV setup, and he’s not pretending otherwise.
The 92.3 The Fan host took aim at Cleveland’s broadcast arrangement with DAZN on Thursday morning, arguing that the price and the extra hoops to watch the team could leave some fans behind as the season gets rolling.
“How am I supposed to sit here and talk about the Cavs when nobody’s going to watch them?”
Carman said he would pay to watch the team, but his bigger point was about everybody else. In his view, the issue isn’t whether one committed fan buys in. It’s whether enough people do.
“It’s bad for the fanbase,” Carman said.
That complaint lands in the middle of a very specific business reality. Some fans will swallow the added cost and keep watching.
Others, especially those who used to catch games more casually, may decide it’s not worth the extra subscription. Carman’s remarks point to that risk, but they do not prove the Cavs have already lost viewers.
For local fans trying to figure out the numbers, the Cavs’ broadcast page lists four DAZN choices. There’s a standard monthly plan at $19.99, a monthly Ultimate plan at $24.99, a season pass at $119.99, and a season pass Ultimate at $139.99.
The standard monthly plan includes two simultaneous streams at one location. The Ultimate monthly plan allows five simultaneous streams at two locations. The season versions mirror those stream limits.
If someone stays subscribed all season, the math gets tight. Six months at the standard rate comes to $119.94, which is just five cents under the season pass. Keep it going for a seventh month, and the total jumps to $139.93.
But the price tag is only part of the puzzle. DAZN carries the Cavs’ locally available games, yet it does not include games pulled for exclusive national broadcasts. So even a season pass doesn’t mean one subscription covers the entire schedule.
Cleveland’s 2026-27 slate already shows that split. The Oct. 22 opener at Philadelphia is on ESPN, the Nov. 2 meeting with Oklahoma City is on Peacock, and the Nov. 6 game against Philadelphia is on Prime Video.
That means fans still have to track which service has which game, especially if they already pay for one or more national platforms. A monthly purchase may make more sense for the occasional viewer, while the season pass becomes the better value for someone planning to watch all year.
The Cavaliers and DAZN announced in September that 15 games will be available free. The team also said full-season and half-season Cavs United and Foundation members will receive complimentary subscriptions.
The partnership was also framed as a production upgrade. Rock Entertainment Sports Network will handle broadcasts in-house, and the setup includes an expanded 19-camera system.
Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, the Cavaliers and Rocket Arena, said the goal was “simplifying how fans connect to Cavaliers basketball”
That’s the promise on the broadcast side. Carman’s gripe is simpler: even with improved production, fans still have to pay more and navigate more services to follow the team.
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