
PHOENIX—As regional sports networks struggle to stay afloat amid an increase in cord cutting and rising sports rights fees, one broadcast station group has decided to follow the cord cutters and bring live professional sports back to free over-the-air TV.
In an agreement characterized as “transformative,” Gray Television today announced a deal with the Phoenix Suns NBA and Phoenix Mercury WNBA teams to bring every locally broadcast game to viewers for free in a statewide distribution model utilizing Gray’s Phoenix television stations KTVK (Arizona’s Family 3TV) and the newly launched KPHE (Arizona’s Family Sports & Entertainment Network).