NBA fans have several options at their disposal when it comes to watching games for the 2024-25 season. There are multiple streaming services, NBA TV broadcasts, NBA League Pass and, of course, nationally televised games.
For Chicago Bulls fans, things aren't that simple. And as the regular season rapidly approaches, they aren't getting any simpler.
The following article details some basic information on how fans can catch Matas Buzelis, Coby White (Zach LaVine?) and other Bulls stars during the 2024-25 NBA season.
Find the complete regular-season schedule here.
Note: This article will be updated as more news and potential deals are completed between the Chicago Sports Network and popular cable/streaming services.
How to watch Chicago Bulls games on cable TV this season
Before delving into the Chicago Sports Network ordeal, here's a simple way fans can watch at least a handful of Bulls games with a cable subscription.
Chicago plays five nationally televised games:
- Nov. 7 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA TV)
- Nov. 20 at Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN)
- Nov. 23 vs. Memphis Grizzlies (NBA TV)
- Jan. 17 vs. Charlotte Hornets (ESPN)
- April 6 at Charlotte Hornets (NBA TV)
Local broadcasts
Here's where things get tricky, confusing, infuriating - whichever word you'd like to use - for Bulls fans living in the Chicago area.
Exit NBA Sports Chicago; enter the Chicago Sports Network (CHSN).
On the bright side, Bulls games on CHSN are free. The fine print, however, is that these free games are streamed "over the air," meaning fans will need antennas to tune in, and unless your TV already comes with one, you'll need to buy an antenna and install it.
The channels and locations that these over-the-air games are broadcast on will vary as CHSN tries to work out deals with larger companies such as Comcast and Hulu. But as of Oct. 16 - one week before the regular-season opener - games can be found on these channels in these locations.
Good news for DIRECTV, U-Verse and Astound customers: CHSN is available to you. Bad news for everyone else, at least until the company makes broadcast agreements with other services.
Out-of-market streaming options for Chicago Bulls games
NBA League Pass remains the best option for die-hard NBA fans. Unfortunately, games will be blacked out for supporters who live in the Chicago market because they're broadcast locally.
In that case, that antenna will be necessary to watch CHSN.
International viewing options
Fans way outside the Chicago area have options, as well.
Those two nationally televised games on ESPN can be found on that channel or the ESPN+ app. NBA League Pass is again another option.
But there's a catch.
Fans will have to sign up for a VPN service - essentially, a VPN blocks websites from seeing where you're located, so you could watch League Pass, for example, as if you were in the United States.
Chicago Bulls projected starters and key players for 2024-25 NBA season
The Bulls have finally decided to dive headfirst into a rebuild. They dealt Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey, and DeMar DeRozan is now with the Sacramento Kings.
Not surprisingly, they're still struggling to find takers for LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
However, exciting young players like Giddey, White, Buzelis, Julian Phillips and Ayo Dosunmu are worth checking out as the future of the franchise.
Be ready for a more exciting brand of basketball, too. With the team's glut of young guards and the injection of a pass-first floor general like Giddey, head coach Billy Donovan plans to push the tempo and score in transition whenever possible.
The Bulls may give up 120 points regularly - but there's a chance they can score 121 on any given night.
Hopefully, by the time the regular season rolls around, things will become clearer for CHSN, and games will be easier to find at home. One week out, however, that isn't the case.
Check back here for updates as the season goes along and viewing options change. (The CHSN info page will also be updated.)