The Phoenix Suns and Mercury have reached an official agreement with Gray Television for Arizona’s Family to be their local broadcast partner after Diamond Sports opted not to match the deal.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Arizona's Family to broadcast Phoenix @Suns games starting this upcoming season! DETAILS: https://t.co/wcpxDQqvIk pic.twitter.com/wiiPFw5xLw
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) July 14, 2023
The teams’ non-nationally televised games will now be provided for free in 2.8 million homes across Arizona on Arizona’s Family (channel 3) and the new Arizona’s Family Sports Network (channel 44), according to a press release.
Suns and Mercury owner Mat Ishbia included a statement in the release:
“I am excited to be able to deliver to our Suns and Mercury fans this industry-shifting partnership with Gray Television. 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.”
The Suns will have a minimum of 70 games broadcast between the two channels in the 2023-24 season, which begins in October.
“We’re thrilled this partnership will connect our loyal family of viewers with the Phoenix Suns and Mercury,” said Pat LaPlatney, President & Co-CEO of Gray Television, in therelease. “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.”
The deal was orignally announced on April 28. However, it was put on hold after a judge in May ruled in favor that Diamond Sports (owner of Bally Sports Arizona) had a chance to match the deal.
Ishbia was always confident they would eventually get past this hurdle, and the good news has finally come.
Now, Suns and Mercury fans in Arizona will officially get to watch their favorite teams for free on the Arizona Family stations.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on Twitter via @Brendan_Mau
