Ken Carman rips Cavs over TV deal: ‘It’s bad for the fanbase’

NBA teams have been forced to go their own way with local television and streaming deals for the 2026-2027 season after the RSN ecosystem collapsed. And while some teams have valued reach and accessibility, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not one of them.

Coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, the Cavs were one of several teams to link up with streaming platform DAZN for games this season . However, with no linear channel to watch games and a DAZN season pass that costs more than the entire League Pass package, the Cavs are the least accessible team to watch in the NBA for local fans.

The situation has left the Cavaliers fanbase upset. On 92.3 The Fan, host Ken Carman voiced that frustration, saying many fans will opt out of following the team instead of paying for yet another exclusive streaming package.

"Take the temperature of the fan base. I think a lot of fans are just down on them, the way the season ended last year, they didn't get LeBron. Listen, LeBron has probably two years left, he's going to be load management. I do not pick the Sixers to go to the Finals this year. Can't say I pick us," Carman said.

"I think that so many people are down on them, they got to figure out a way to fix this and get this accessible to their fans. I think a lot of people are not going to pay this. It's bad for me, it's bad for the team, it's bad for the fanbase, it's bad for what we do. How am I supposed to sit here and talk about the Cavs? I got to pay it. I'll watch it. But how am I supposed to sit here and talk about the Cavs when nobody's going to watch them?"

The NBA is making preparations to launch its own centralized hub for local broadcasts , which could be ready by next season. For Cavs fans and others with accessibility issues, it can't come soon enough.