The sports television environment changed when the Phoenix Suns and Mercury broke away from Bally Sports Arizona to work with Gray Television and broadcast games locally for free. Games for both teams are now airing on Arizona’s Family television stations KTVK (Arizona’s Family TV) and KPHE (Arizona’s Family Sports Network), eliminating blackouts and other bothersome restrictions. With the new deal, over 2.8 million households in Arizona will have access to watch both teams play for free, a capability that could further expand the fanbase. Now, all local consumers will be able to watch the championship run without the constraints set forth by a regional sports network.
“It was so important because hearing fans that couldn’t watch our games because (a) they couldn’t afford it; (b) they were blocked out for some reason; (c) they didn’t have access [or] they didn’t know how to find the games,” Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia said in an interview on Arizona Sports 98.7. “Simplifying it; getting your product – our team, not my team – [and] our team out to all of the fans is the biggest no-brainer of them all.”
When Ishbia was informed that there was a chance to move the teams off the regional sports network and onto broadcast television, he worked fastidiously to ensure it would become a reality. After exiting the contracts and navigating a lawsuit from Diamond Sports Group, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, the deal is now done.
Bally Sports Arizona also lost the Arizona Diamondbacks, leaving the regional sports network with rights to no professional sports except the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes. In fact, select cable providers want to cut the network from packages entirely, arguing that they should not be paying for content it will now suddenly not be receiving.
“I know fans are appreciative and happy,” Ishbia said regarding the Suns and Mercury television deal. “I’m excited about it. It was a big, big deal and hopefully, it changes the sports landscape where owners follow because it’s the right thing to do for the fan. It might not be the right financial thing to do in some situations, but it’s the right thing to do and that’s our job as stewards of the organization.”
