The Phoenix Suns and Mercury announced Friday morning they are leaving Bally Sports Arizona for a new media rights deal with Gray Television, Inc. and interactive video company Kiswe, which will deliver all of the team’s locally-broadcasted games via over-the-air television and streaming.
The partnership with Gray Television, which includes KTVK (Arizona’s Family 3TV), KPHO and statewide KPHE (AZ Family Sports Network), will serve to connect the Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma media markets and make games available to nearly 2.8 million households in Arizona, a release said.
“I’ve said from day one that our focus is our fans, our community, and every member of our organization and this deal checks every box,” Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury Governor Matt Ishbia said in the release. “By going entirely over the air and building our own DTC product, the Suns and Mercury will now be accessible to millions more fans in Arizona and globally. Success comes from new and innovative ways to invest in our players, continue our mission to build a world class organization on and off the floor, and make our product available to as many people as possible.”
Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports Arizona, said in a reported statement the Suns’ deal with Gray and Kiswe is a breach of contract.
“The Phoenix Suns breached our contract and violated bankruptcy law, and Diamond Sports Group will pursue all remedies against any parties that attempt to exercise control over our property interests while we reorganize,” the statement read. “This is an improper effort by the Suns to change their broadcasting partner without permitting Diamond to exercise our contractual rights.”
Suns and Phoenix Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein was reported to have the following response to Bally Sports Arizona Friday.
“Diamond’s position is totally inaccurate. We are moving forward with this deal and could not be more excited about what it means for our fans and our future.”
The Suns and Mercury expect to have all non-nationally televised games distributed between KTVK and KPHE. The Suns will have a minimum of 70 games broadcast, with at least 40 regular-season games on KTVK and the remaining on KPHE. The Suns' deal in this partnership spans up to five years, while the Mercury's is a two-year agreement.
Regular-season games for the Suns have been broadcasted by Bally Sports Arizona, which was rebranded from Fox Sports Arizona in 2021 and also airs regular-season games for the MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes. Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy protection in March.
The Suns will also have a direct-to-consumer streaming option with Kiswe, which will have a Suns or Mercury branded app on smartphones and Smart TVs. The Mercury’s streaming will be available for free this season.
“Cord cutters, cable subscribers, fans with an antenna – everyone will be able to watch Suns and Mercury games on Arizona’s Family,” Ishbia said. “Coupling that with a partnership with an industry leader like Kiswe to provide an innovative digital streaming solution allows us to transform the way fans watch our games, giving them more options and access than they’ve ever had.”
The broadcast schedule for the Mercury will be released in the coming weeks, the statement read.
The first six games of the Suns’ Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets will be televised by TNT and ESPN.
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