Big news for Detroit Pistons fans: the team is bringing back free, over-the-air television broadcasts starting with the 2026-27 season. In a deal announced Wednesday, May 13, the Pistons have partnered with Scripps Sports to make WMYD-TV (Channel 20 in Detroit) their official broadcast home. This marks the first time since 2005 that the team will primarily produce and air games locally—and best of all, you won't need a cable subscription to watch.

"This move is for our fans," said team owner Tom Gores in a statement. "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."

For those who prefer streaming, a dedicated solution will be announced later. But the core takeaway is clear: the Pistons are making their games more accessible than ever. This puts Detroit in a unique position locally—they'll be the only major professional team in the city broadcasting games over the air. The Tigers, for comparison, air on Detroit SportsNet (a regional network owned by Ilitch Sports + Entertainment), which costs $19.99 per month or $189.99 per year for streaming, and the Red Wings will join that network this fall.

However, fans hoping to catch every single one of the 82 regular-season games with just an antenna should note that not all contests will be on WMYD. The NBA has national broadcast agreements with ESPN (which also airs games on ABC), NBC (WDIV-TV, Channel 4 in Detroit), and Amazon. NBC will stream select games weekly on Peacock and air others on NBC Sports Network, while Amazon will exclusively stream its games on Prime Video. So, you'll still need to mix and match to see every tip-off—but for the majority of the season, all you'll need is a good antenna and a Pistons-branded jersey to cheer from home.