The Phoenix Suns and Mercury are cutting the cord. As dozens of professional sports teams and the leagues themselves navigate the collapse of the regional sports network market and the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group’s Bally Sports Networks, new owner Mat Ishbia has a bold solution. The billionaire owner is opting to take direct control of their television rights and broadcasting the games for free on television while developing a direct-to-consumer streaming option online.
The news comes via Brian Windhorst at ESPN, who writes the move could cost the Suns “tens of millions in guaranteed money per year in the short term.