Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
The Phoenix Suns are giving fans free antennas as the team transitions to broadcasting games locally on over-the-air channels this upcoming NBA season.
Arizona residents can visit Suns.com to order a free digital antenna and have it shipped to them. Arizona-based antenna manufacturer Channel Master has partnered with the Suns to provide the antennas, which fans can install without cable, satellite, or television subscriptions to watch Suns games this season. The antenna has a cord connecting directly to a fan’s television.
About 70 Suns regular season games will be televised over the air this season as part of the team’s deal announced in April with Gray Television, which owns several local Arizona TV channels. Cord cutters will also have the option of streaming games on the Suns’ new service with Kiswe. The broadcasting deal is also for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, who share ownership with the Suns under Mat Ishbia.
The Suns experienced a falling out with Diamond Sports Group, their former cable broadcast partner that televised games on Bally Sports Network this past season. Earlier this year, Diamond Sports, which filed for bankruptcy in March, engaged in a legal battle to block the Suns’ deal with Gray TV before the deal received clearance to proceed in July.
MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to follow the Suns and Mercury in shifting games to free over-the-air channels as the bankruptcy of Diamond has impacted regional sports networks across major leagues. Parent company Sinclair had a quarterly loss of $89 million since Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy.
