Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Gray Media Double Down on Fan Investment and the Future of Sports Media
WNBA Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Gray Media Double Down on Fan Investment and the Future of Sports Media

Published on May 20, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury News Release


PHOENIX - The Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Gray Media today announced a multi-year extension of their groundbreaking media rights partnership, reinforcing a shared commitment to fans and shaping the future of sports media. The extension ensures Suns, Mercury and Valley Suns games remain free over-the-air across Arizona through 2030 while also introducing a digital streaming option through Arizona's Family.

"We're so excited to expand our partnership with Arizona's Family because everything we do is for our fans," said Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia. "Making Suns and Mercury games free and accessible across Arizona has been a main focus of mine and will continue to be, because these are truly the community's teams. This media deal is about putting our fans first, which I have always said we will do and we will continue to do for years to come."

The Suns and Mercury now become the first teams in the NBA and WNBA to make their games available to fans under a single broadcast partner across both over-the-air and streaming. The extension continues the organization's commitment to ensure games are available to millions of fans across Arizona to watch free over-the-air on Arizona's Family. Live coverage includes Suns pregame, halftime and postgame shows, as well as pregame, halftime and postgame programming for Mercury broadcasts which were added this season. In the coming days, Arizona's Family will launch the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) app, which will include Suns+ and Merc+ as the direct-to-consumer streaming platforms.

"We could not be more fortunate to have a partner like the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury," said Pat LaPlatney, Co-CEO and President of Gray Media. "Mat Ishbia made a fan-first promise to keep these games free and widely accessible across Arizona, and this extension-bringing linear and streaming together in one unified Arizona's Family experience-takes that commitment even further. We're proud of what we've built since 2023, and we're excited to keep raising the bar for local sports coverage and serving Suns, Mercury and Valley Suns fans through 2030."

Launched in 2023, the deal was the first modern local broadcast partnership in the NBA and WNBA to go over-the-air and away from the traditional and limited regional sports model, ushering in a new era of the fan viewing experience. The partnership was spearheaded by Ishbia's vision to ensure all fans across Arizona could have access to Suns and Mercury games for free with Ishbia leading a campaign that distributed more than 10,000 free antennas to fans throughout the state. Since moving to Arizona's Family, Suns and Mercury broadcasts have seen broad availability to all the nearly three million TV homes across the state. With expanded reach, viewership has seen unprecedented ratings increases year-over-year, resulting in more than 110,000* viewers per game across Arizona and a top four ranking in the NBA in local household viewership for the Suns during the 2025-26 season. Viewership for Mercury broadcasts have seen a substantial increase of nearly 500% since moving over-the-air on Arizona's Family.

The transformational partnership with Arizona's Family furthers Ishbia's commitment to revolutionize the fan experience by introducing diverse options for every fan - from family-friendly to premium experiences. Beyond the industry-shifting move to bring Suns and Mercury games free over-the-air and streamline the viewing experience with a single unified partner across linear and streaming, Ishbia's fan-first initiatives include: introducing the most affordable meal in the NBA and WNBA with the $2 value menu, redefining the gameday experience with OVG Hospitality's premier culinary offerings, and innovative bowl lighting and videoboards for fans to enjoy a more immersive experience. He has also enhanced premium experiences at Mortgage Matchup Center with the FanDuel Lounge exclusively for season ticket members, the suite-level M Club by BMW with luxury VIP service, and the partnership with Major Food Group to open The Ra Ra Room - the first-ever members-only dining club in a sports and entertainment venue. Looking ahead, the Suns will host NBA All-Star 2027 at Mortgage Matchup Center, bringing the league's premier showcase to Phoenix.

*Data based on Nielsen Live + Same Day impression delivery; P18+.

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