By Hayden Cilley
Copyright clutchpoints
With everything that has happened with the Phoenix Suns, the majority team owner, Mat Ishbia, continues to keep the fans engaged. In the 2023 season, Ishbia announced the Suns would livestream their games.
This was a first, considering Bally Sports previously had the rights to broadcast the games. Fans were able to watch through Suns Live. But now, the organization announced something even bigger on Friday.
“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,” Ishbia said in a press release.
“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.”
The initial deal was launched in 2023. The deal was the first local broadcast partnership in the NBA and WNBA to go exclusively over-the-air and away from the traditional and limited regional sports model.
As a result, Ishbia led a campaign that distributed more than 10,000 free antennas to ensure fans across Arizona had access to the games on local channels, according to the release.
Mat Ishbia wants Suns fans to have access to all games
It’s not just Ishbia being generous with a move like this. There is an actual business behind it. For instance, viewership for Suns games has more than doubled since moving to Arizona’s Family.
They averaged 125,000+ amongst viewers aged two or older compared to 63,000 viewers before the switch. Viewership for Mercury games increased by 25%.
It’s another step in the right direction for the fanbase, who went through a tumultuous 2024 season.
Either way, this isn’t the first instance of ownership giving back. In the 2024 season, the Suns and Ishbia announced a value menu, with certain concessions starting at $2.
The partnership with Phoenix and Gray Media will last until 2028. For the next three years, other franchises could possibly follow Ishbia’s pursuit of giving back to the fans and increasing their engagement.
