After trading away a global superstar in Giannis and anticipating a major loss in viewership, the Bucks have made the effort to return the focus back to the local Wisconsin sports market, giving fans more control over how they can watch the games than they’ve had in quite some time. On October 1st, the Milwaukee Bucks announcedBucks+, the team’s new streaming platform where fans in the state of Wisconsin will be able to watch all locally televised match-ups (out of market fans will still need to rely
on the NBA League Pass). Bucks+ comes in addition to those same games being available over the air on your local My24 station and will also carry podcasts for subscribers, including Behind the Bucks and Hear District.
The decision to launch Bucks+ is a distinct one. Doing so, they join the Oklahoma City Thunder as the only other team to offer their local games on an in-house, direct-to-consumer streaming app. Many of the teams previously on FanDuel have sold their streaming rights to DAZN, but the Bucks chose to forgo the $2m deal to test the waters with another small-market team on the opposite end of the championship-window spectrum. The app will be managed by the Wisconsin-based marketing company Good Karma Brands, which also owns 620 WTMJ and ESPN Milwaukee (94.5 WKTI), among other stations around Wisconsin (and stations in other states as well).
The last time the Bucks games were completely accessible over the air was the 1994-1995 season, with regional sports networks then taking over broadcasts and only leaving occasional games for over-the-air broadcasts, until FSN took full control in the 2007-2008 season. While to some it may seem like an obvious choice to make after potentially losing part of its international fan base, by doing so the Bucks are at least actively putting their money where their mouth is and making this season about the fans, which is certainly refreshing given how frustrating last season felt. One of the best moves the organization can make at a time like this is finding ways to involve the local community at the same level it did before the Giannis-era—including finding ways to make the team itself and spaces like the Deer District accessible and community focused. The moves to keep the game broadcasts locally focused is a great first step in that effort.
Bucks+ is available for $19.99 a month or $99.99 for the entire season. You can catch the first game on Bucks+ tomorrow—preseason kicks off against the Minnesota Timberwolves!
