The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury will now be broadcast on local television stations, marking a deviation from the standard regional sports network model. Owner Mat Ishbia announced that the NBA and WNBA franchises will air on Arizona’s Family television stations KTVK (Arizona’s Family TV) and the new KPHE (Arizona’s Family Sports Network), owned by Gray Television. Both teams had been broadcast on Bally Sports Arizona, but making the move to work with Gray Television will make the games available to consumers across the state – nearly tripling the teams’ previous reach.
“I am excited to be able to deliver to our Suns and Mercury fans this industry-shifting partnership with Gray Television,” Ishbia said in a statement. “We’ve had an incredible offseason, making a lot of exciting moves to build the championship-caliber Suns team our fans want. Now, this deal gives more than 2.8 million homes across Arizona access to Suns and Mercury games for free. I am proud that we are at the forefront of this shift to make the game more accessible, which not only serves our fan base but also helps to build future NBA and WNBA fans.”
Mercury basketball games have been televised on Gray networks since the start of the WNBA season, which has currently reached its All-Star break. A bankruptcy court previously voided the television deal after Diamond Sports Group decided to take legal action against the organization. The company previously argued that the departure of the Suns and Mercury would complicate its reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which it filed for this past March.
Diamond Sports Group was given an opportunity to match the Gray Television, but ended up neglecting to do so. As a result, the Suns become the second team in the NBA to ink this type of local broadcast television deal, joining the Utah Jazz.
“We’re thrilled this partnership will connect our loyal family of viewers with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury,” Pat LaPlatney, president and co-chief executive officer of Gray Television, said in a statement. “In a very short window, Mat Ishbia has begun to build a world-class organization both on and off the court. Mat and Josh Bartelstein have made good on their promise to focus on the community and put their fans first. We are very pleased to play a part in that effort with our Phoenix, Tucson, and ultimately our Yuma stations.”
Matchups for both teams will now be available on broadcast television and through various streaming platforms, including the Phoenix Suns website and mobile app. The first two games of the Suns’ 2023-24 regular season will be broadcast by ESPN, as there is much intrigue surrounding the new star trio of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant.
