NORTHVILLE, MICH. — With the National Basketball Association team led by Cade Cunningham one of the hottest pro sports franchises in America, fans are hoping the Detroit Pistons will hang a championship banner inside Little Caesars Arena at the end of this season.
On Wednesday, a different kind of banner was raised involving the Pistons, and it confirms where the team’s games will be seen during the 2026-2027 season.
WMYD-20, the independent broadcast TV station owned by The E.W. Scripps Co., has been selected as the Pistons’ official television partner for next season.
Per team policy, terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
The agreement builds on a 2025-2026 partnership announced on March 17 that saw “TV20” simulcast FanDuel Sports Network Detroit games for a third consecutive season. That deal saw WMYD-TV air five late-season Pistons games in a simulcast arrangement with the troubled regional sports network.
According to a source close to the matter, Pistons Sports & Entertainment Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer Richard Haddad reached an agreement with Scripps, which also owns ABC affiliate WXYZ-7, after speaking with Graham Media Group (parent of NBC affiliate WDIV-4) and Paramount’s CBS Stations, which owns WWJ-TV “CBS Detroit” and WKBD-50, presently the market’s home for The CW Network.
To make the Pistons arrangement with Scripps work, the team is paying what the source described as “a substantial rights fee.”
For the first time, WMYD will produce and air all locally available pre-season and regular season Pistons games.
“This move is for our fans,” said Pistons Owner Tom Gores. “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.”
Arn Tellem, Vice Chairman of the Detroit Pistons, added, “This partnership with Scripps Sports is an exciting moment for the Detroit Pistons. “Basketball has always been deeply woven into the fabric of our city, and we’re proud to expand access to our games. We look forward to partnering with Scripps to deliver outstanding broadcasts and programming that reflects the energy, pride and passion of Detroit.”
The Pistons have not had a local broadcast home as its primary TV partner since 2005.
“Over-the-air broadcasting has proven to be one of the most powerful ways to connect sports teams with their fans,” said Brian Lawlor, President of Scripps Sports. “As we are seeing right now, the fandom around the Pistons is high and every fan deserves to have access to Detroit Pistons games. Scripps Sports is proud to partner with the Pistons to deliver their games to more fans than ever before – because the best team in the East deserves the best broadcast platform in the NBA.”
For Mike Murri, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Scripps’ Detroit stations, “This partnership ensures everyone across Metro Detroit can experience the excitement of Pistons basketball while strengthening our commitment to bringing the community together around the teams and moments that matter most.”
As part of the partnership, the Pistons and Scripps Sports will produce pre-game and post-game programming. The agreement also includes a weekly, half-hour Pistons show, along with original team focused content integrated across broadcasts and digital programming across Scripps’ family of channels.
For those outside of the Detroit DMA and within the Pistons’ territory. Scripps Sports intends to engage its stations across the state of Michigan in the coming months to create “a broad network of exposure and reach” for the team throughout the state.
Additionally, the Pistons and Scripps Sports plan to collaborate on a direct to consumer streaming application, with further details to be announced at a later date.
