Much has been made of MLB’s unwillingness to give regional sports networks (RSNs) from Bally Sports and its parent company Diamond Sports Group a hand during its bankruptcy court proceedings, and rightly so. The league clearly sees the entire structure of RSNs as faulty, and wants to get out of the way before the whole thing topples over.

Other leagues, such as the NBA, have been more patient with big RSN providers, but it appears that patience is also running out, at least for one NBA team. That’s the Phoenix Suns, who together with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury have reached an agreement with local broadcast stations and a streaming provider to distribute their games across the state of Arizona.

“I’ve said from day one that our focus is our fans, our community, and every member of our organization and this deal checks every box,” Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury Governor Mat Ishbia said. “By going entirely over the air and building our own DTC product, the Suns and Mercury will now be accessible to millions more fans in Arizona and globally. Success comes from new and innovative ways to invest in our players, continue our mission to build a world class organization on and off the floor, and make our product available to as many people as possible.”

Suns and Mercury games are currently available on [Bally Sports Arizona], but not for much longer. KTVK (Arizona’s Family 3TV), KPHO (Arizona’s Family CBS5), and the statewide KPHE (AZ Family Sports Network), which serve the Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma media markets will be responsible for airing games, starting May 19 for the Mercury and in October for the Suns. The deal does not include 2023 Suns playoff games.

In all, the pact will bring Suns and Mercury games to more than 2.8 million homes in Arizona, tripling the reach of the two teams. As part of the agreement, the streaming startup Kiswe will provide a direct-to-consumer option that will not require a pay-TV subscription to access. Suns and Mercury games will be available on this service, and the Mercury’s 2023 season will be available to stream for free. The app will be available on smart TVs and mobile devices.

“Cord cutters, cable subscribers, fans with an antenna – everyone will be able to watch Suns and Mercury games on Arizona’s Family,” added Ishbia. “Coupling that with a partnership with an industry leader like Kiswe to provide an innovative digital streaming solution allows us to transform the way fans watch our games, giving them more options and access than they’ve ever had.”

Interestingly the deal is still subject to “any required resolution with the incumbent regional sports partner.” That would seem to suggest that things between the two teams and Bally Sports Arizona aren’t quite resolved. Considering that the NBA extended its broadcasting deal with Diamond Sports until the end of the 2024-25 season, the timing of the deal seems a little odd. But perhaps the Suns and other NBA clubs have the right to negotiate these types of deals on their own; in any event, it’s highly unlikely the agreement would have been announced if the Suns, Mercury, and their new TV partners were not completely certain it would be approved by all necessary parties.

The deal is a groundbreaking achievement in terms of bringing local sports teams to as many people in their home media markets as possible. It shows conclusively that the RSN model is not the only way to distribute major league sports games locally, and how broadcast and streaming can work together to boost the availability of games. It’s far too soon to tell if this new blueprint will be adopted by more teams in more states, but it’s a highly modern solution to a problem that has thus far seemed very difficult to solve.

At the onset of the 2022-23 season, the NBA’s LA Clippers announced that 11 games would be broadcast on linear network KTLA 5. As the RSN landscape continues to crumble, it would not be surprising if more teams began turning to their local affiliates for broadcast deals in the future.