Detroit — The Detroit Pistons announced on Wednesday that they have reached a new local media television rights agreement with Scripps Sports, starting with the 2026‑27 NBA season. The move brings Pistons basketball back to free, over-the-air television for fans across Detroit, metro Detroit, and the state of Michigan.
The agreement signifies the Pistons’ return to a primarily local broadcast television home for the first time since 2005.
Under the agreement, WMYD TV20 Detroit, owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company, will become the official local broadcast home of the Pistons. TV20 Detroit will produce and air all locally available pre-season and regular-season games.
“This move is for our fans. They have been huge all season and throughout this playoff run. Their energy and support have lifted our team and helped fuel our resurgence,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “It’s a new era of Pistons basketball and we want to make sure that more people in Detroit and throughout Michigan can be part of the journey.”
As part of their partnership, the Pistons and Scripps Sports will provide game-day coverage, which includes pregame, in-game, and postgame programming. It will also feature a weekly half-hour show focused on the Pistons, along with original team-centric content integrated across Scripps’ family of channels, both in broadcasts and digital programming.
“This partnership with Scripps Sports is an exciting moment for the Detroit Pistons,” Arn Tellem, vice chairman of the Pistons, said. “Basketball has always been deeply woven into the fabric of our city, and we’re proud to expand access to our games. We look forward to partnering with Scripps to deliver outstanding broadcasts and programming that reflects the energy, pride and passion of Detroit.”
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons announce new local television media rights deal
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
