Detroit Pistons Return to Free TV: What the Scripps Deal Means for Fans
Starting in 2026-27, every locally televised Pistons game will air free on WMYD TV20 Detroit. No cable bill, no streaming subscription, no RSN paywall. Here's what changed and what to do.
Quick answer: Beginning with the 2026-27 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons' locally televised games will air for free over-the-air on WMYD TV20 Detroit through a new media rights deal with Scripps Sports. A direct-to-consumer streaming app is also planned. It's the Pistons' first primarily local broadcast home since 2005.
The team that just won 60 games and is currently making a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference is about to become one of the easiest NBA teams in the country to watch. No cable login. No regional sports network subscription. No bundle of streaming services to assemble.
Just a TV antenna. Or, for everyone who hasn't owned one since the Bush administration, a participating cable or satellite provider that already carries the local Detroit channels.
What the Pistons announced
On May 13, 2026, the Detroit Pistons announced a new local media television rights agreement with Scripps Sports beginning with the 2026-27 NBA season. WMYD TV20 Detroit, owned and operated by The E.W. Scripps Company, becomes the official local broadcast home of the franchise.
TV20 Detroit will produce and air every locally available pre-season and regular season game. Fans across Detroit, metro Detroit, and the state of Michigan will be able to watch for free via over-the-air signal or through participating cable and satellite providers.
Scripps also operates WXYZ, Detroit's ABC affiliate. The plan is to pair WXYZ's local news operation with TV20's broadcast platform for game-day coverage, including a weekly half-hour Pistons show and original team content across Scripps' family of channels.
There is also a direct-to-consumer streaming app coming. The Pistons and Scripps Sports said additional details will be announced later. That's the piece most fans will care about long-term, because over-the-air reception varies wildly by neighborhood and a streaming option future-proofs the deal for cord-cutters.
Why this matters
For two decades, Pistons fans needed a pay TV or streaming subscription to watch local games. That ended with the announcement.
It also stands out against the broader Detroit sports broadcast story. When FanDuel Sports Network Detroit shut down, the Ilitch-family-owned Tigers and Red Wings spun up their own regional network, Detroit Sports Network, with a paid subscription model. The Pistons went the opposite direction. Same broken RSN, two completely different fan-facing outcomes.
Quote from Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports, in the official announcement: "Over-the-air broadcasting has proven to be one of the most powerful ways to connect sports teams with their fans."
It's hard to argue with that when the alternative was a regional sports network that no longer exists.
What Pistons fans need to do
Nothing yet. The deal starts next season.
When the 2026-27 NBA season tips off, here's what to know:
| Need | Cost | How |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna over-the-air | Free | Tune to TV20 Detroit (WMYD) |
| Cable / satellite | Existing subscription | TV20 carried on participating providers |
| Streaming app | TBD | Direct-to-consumer app launching later |
| National TV games | Varies | ESPN, ABC, TNT, Prime Video, Peacock as scheduled |
National TV games stay where they've always been. ABC, ESPN, TNT, Prime Video, and Peacock continue to carry their scheduled Pistons broadcasts under the league's national rights deals. The Scripps agreement covers everything else.
A bigger pattern
Scripps Sports has been quietly building a portfolio of pro team rights deals around the same model. Free over-the-air, plus a streaming companion. The company already has local broadcast deals with five NHL teams (the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, and Vegas Golden Knights), the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, and the NWSL's Denver Summit. The Pistons are Scripps' first NBA team.
If the over-the-air model keeps working, expect more. The RSN business has collapsed in slow motion across MLB and NBA over the past three years, and teams without an in-house option are increasingly looking at broadcasters who can guarantee reach without asking fans to add another subscription.
We covered the broader collapse and what replaced it in Where to Watch the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Pistons situation is the most fan-friendly version of the same story.
What's next
We'll update the Detroit Pistons team page once the 2026-27 schedule drops and TV20 Detroit's slate is confirmed. The page currently still reflects the FanDuel Sports Network Detroit era for historical context, which becomes obsolete in October.
If you want game-by-game alerts for the Pistons or any other team, the homepage has a follow button on every team. We send a heads-up the night before, the morning of, and a weekly digest so you never miss a broadcast change.
For now, Pistons fans get to spend the rest of this playoff run not worrying about what happens to local TV next season. It's already settled. And it's free.
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About the author
Platform news, streaming guides, and broadcast updates for MLB and NFL fans. The official voice of HowToWatchMyTeam.com.