BSM recently covered one writer's disdain for the Sinclair Broadcasting-owned Bally Sports regional network in Cleveland. Down in New Orleans, it appears the Pelicans are looking to ditch Bally altogether.

NOLA.com's Christian Clark reports that the network being unavailable on YouTube TV and Hulu Live has caused problems for fans who wish to tune in for Pelicans broadcasts. The team's deal with Sinclair is up at the end of the season and NBC Sports appears to be a likely partner.

Despite shutting down NBC Sports Network at the end of 2021, NBCUniversal continues to own regional sports networks of their own. Those RSNs are currently available from cable, satellite, and streaming providers. (Reportedly, NBC is also interested in launching a streaming service for its RSNs, though refutes how far in development those plans are.)

The Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, 76ers, and Wizards are the other NBA teams that have local deals with NBC regional networks. NBC Sports Regional Networks president Bill Bridgen reportedly met with the Pelicans in a suite at the team's last home game before the All-Star break.

"The team is entertaining all options as the goal is maximum access for our fans to consume Pelicans basketball over the air and online," the team said in a statement. "We need to go where our fans are."

Clark's report says the Pelicans are working a company called Endeavor to negotiate a new deal.

Pelicans president Dennis Lauscha has said the ultimate goal is to maximize viewership and distribution, "so that our product can be seen and consumed by our fans."