The Detroit Pistons will broadcast their games over the air starting in the 2026-27 season through a deal with Scripps Sports for WYMD-TV. This marks the team's return to local TV broadcasts for the first time since 2005.
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Starting next season, the Detroit Pistons are returning to over-the-air TV.
The Pistons have reached a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports for WYMD-TV (Channel 20 in Detroit) to become the official lead broadcast home of the team starting with the 2026-27 preseason and continuing through the regular season. The games will be broadcast for free over the air, marking the first time since 2005 the the team will shift to a primarily local production and broadcast. There also will be a streaming solution, to be announced at a later date.
“This move is for our fans," team owner Tom Gores said in a release. "They have been huge all season and throughout this playoff run. Their energy and support have lifted our team and helped fuel our resurgence. 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.”
Detroit Pistons fans cheer on during warm up ahead of Game 2 of second round of NBA playoffs between Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
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For fans, it means the Pistons will be the lone local team to broadcast games over the air. Following the dissolution of FanDuel Sports Detroit, the Tigers are broadcasting on Detroit SportsNet, a new regional network owned by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. The Red Wings will join them this fall. Detroit SportsNet subscriptions are priced at $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year for streaming, with games also airing on cable and satellite TV. Tigers games are currently produced by MLB's TV production arm.
The Detroit Pistons games will be broadcast on WYMD-TV (Channel 20 in Detroit).
The Pistons will start broadcasting their games over the air with the 2026-27 preseason.
The Pistons are returning to over-the-air broadcasts to make games more accessible for fans in Detroit and throughout Michigan.
Yes, there will be a streaming solution announced at a later date.
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According to the team, the Pistons and Scripps Sports will also produce comprehensive gameday coverage, including pregame, in-game and postgame. They also will produce a a weekly half-hour Pistons show, along with other digital content.
Longtime play-by-play announcer George Blaha and analyst Greg Kelser are expected to make the transition to the new broadcast partner. Blaha completed his 50th season with the Pistons this year and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
Detroit Pistons honor George Blaha for his 50th year working as the play-by-play voice of the Detroit Pistons during halftime of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
It continues a partnership between the Pistons and Scrips Sports that began three season seasons ago, when they reached an agreement to air five of the Pistons' final nine regular season games on WMYD in March 2024. The Pistons also broadcast five games on WMYD each in 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings all had previously aired on FanDuel Sports Detroit, whose parent company, Main Street Sports Group, is winding down operations after navigating financial difficulties. The Pistons initially moved from local TV to what was then known as Fox Sports Detroit alongside the Tigers and Red Wings beginning in 2008.
Contact Omari Sankofa II atosankofa@freepress.com. Follow him onXand/orBluesky.
**Matchup:**1-seed Pistons (2-2) vs. 4-seed Cleveland (2-2); NBA playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals Game 5.
**Tipoff:**8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
**TV/radio:**ESPN; WWJ-AM (950).
**At stake:**The winner of this best-of-seven series advances to the East finals to face the 3-seed New York Knicks for a spot in the NBA Finals.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons, WMYD-TV (20) to air 2026-27 games starting in 2026-27