Pistons on local broadcast for 1st time in more than 15 years

The Detroit Pistons are coming to a local broadcast near you for the first time in more than 15 years.

Thanks to a partnership with Scripps Sports, five of the Pistons’ final nine games will air on TV-20 Detroit (WYMD), the team announced Thursday. It’s the team’s first extended relationship with an over-the-air broadcaster since the 2007-08 season. The games will also broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit.

The usual Bally Sports Detroit on-air crew — George Blaha, Greg Kelser and courtside reporters Johnny Kane and Natalie Kerwin — will be present for the TV-20 broadcasts as well. The five games to air locally: vs. Memphis, April 1 at Philadelphia, April 9 vs. Chicago, April 10 at Dallas, April 12 at San Antonio, April 14

“This is a great opportunity to give more fans a way to watch our games as we end the 2023-24 campaign and build momentum towards the offseason and beyond,” Pistons executive vice president and chief operating officer Richard Haddad said in a statement. “We thank Scripps Sports and TV-20 for bringing selected April broadcasts to an over-the-airaudience and Bally Sports Detroit for its continued partnership and award-winning production.”

Scripps was able to secure broadcast rights for the five games thanks to Bally Sports’ ongoing bankruptcy, which led the NBA to reach an agreement with the company’s owner, Diamond Sports Group, in November.

There has been local clamor for locally broadcasted Pistons games since Phoenix Suns owner (and Michigan State alumnus) Mat Ishbia declined to extend his team’s TV rights deal with Bally Sports last September. All the Suns’ non-national TV games aired locally this season, a move Ishbia said was intended to expand the team’s reach. Suns ratings have nearly doubled this season.

It has yet to be determined if the Pistons will air local games next season as well, as Bally Sports Detroit still is contractually in control of local broadcasting rights.

“Our goal is always to help teams and leagues grow their fan bases by providing greater access to games through our broadcast channels,” Scripps Sports president Brian

Lawlor said in a statement. “Credit to the Pistons for partnering with us to make these games available free and over the air on TV-20 Detroit.”