Suns & Mercury ditch cable for streaming

The Phoenix Suns and Mercury have partnered with Gray Television to stream games for free, ending their relationship with Bally Sports Arizona and giving fans in nearly 2 million homes access starting from the upcoming WNBA season.

The move is another blow for Bally Sports' parent company Diamond Sports, which filed for bankruptcy in March amid a broader collapse in the regional sports network model. Suns owner Matt Ishbia has been vocal about betting on long-term fan growth over short-term rights revenue, reflecting a wider shift as streaming platforms and league-owned services like NBA League Pass give fans more control over how they watch.

Regional sports networks are attempting to adapt — Bally Sports+ now offers local NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA coverage without a cable subscription — but with some MLB teams yet to sign on, the model is still finding its footing.