Mat Ishbia, US businessman and owner of the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) basketball franchises, has agreed a two-year extension deal for the two teams to remain with local broadcast partner Gray Media.
Gray Media will continue to showcase all Suns and Mercury home games not selected for national coverage live and free-to-air across the state of Arizona through 2028, including the 2028 WNBA and 2027-28 NBA campaigns, via the Arizona’s Family and Arizona’s Family Sports channels.
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This deal also covers the Suns’ NBA G-League affiliate, the Valley Suns, which was added to the partnership in 2024, and includes shoulder content and ancillary programming around the suite of sports rights.
Meanwhile, Suns, Valley Suns, and Mercury games will also continue to be available on the trio’s respective direct-to-consumer platforms, Suns+ and Merc+.
The Suns and Mercury first partnered with Gray Media in 2023 following the collapse of the pair’s local broadcast deal with the then-bankrupt Diamond Sports Group, and in doing so became the first NBA franchise to distribute its games on free-to-air TV locally.
Since then, the Suns have stated that their game broadcasts are averaging around 120,000 viewers per game (counting all viewers over four years of age), over double the 63,000 average it boasted prior to the switch.
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By GlobalDataThe Mercury franchise, meanwhile, stated it has seen a 425% increase in viewership during matches on the platform compared to prior.
Speaking on the deal, Ishbia said: “This has always been about the fans. We were the first to make games available free over the air, bringing Suns and Mercury games to more fans in Arizona than ever before.”
Since the beginning of the deal, Ishbia has led a campaign to hand free TV antennas to people to allow them access to the Arizona’s Family channels over-the-air.
He continued: “We’re excited to keep our games free and accessible – growing our fanbase and the game of basketball by ensuring everyone in Arizona has access to watch the Suns and Mercury.”
Pat LaPlatney, Gray Media co-chief executive and president, added: “We know the power of broadcast television and were confident the partnership would move the needle.
“It has created a space for a new generation of Phoenix Suns and Mercury fans to easily connect. We see it in the viewership data. But most importantly, it ushered in a new era of live sports on broadcast television, opening the door for more deals of its kind to be done.”
Indeed, at the time the initial Suns/Gray Media deal was agreed, several other franchises also began offering their content free over-the-air, including the Utah Jazz with KJZZ, and the New Orleans Pelicans with the Gray Media-owned Gulf Coast Sports Network.
This was spurred on by the bankruptcy proceedings that had consumed Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports Group) and jeopardized local coverage of franchises across the league before eventually emerging from bankruptcy.
