Pistons basketball returns to free TV, with 71 games on Detroit 20 this season

The Detroit Pistons will be easy to find this winter, and free.

On September 28 the team announced its 2026-27 local broadcast plan, and the takeaway for fans is simple: most games are coming to over-the-air television. The Spot Detroit 20, the Scripps-owned station also known as TV20, will carry 71 of the Pistons' 82 regular-season games, plus all four preseason games. Anyone with an antenna can watch.

The team framed it as the widest local access in more than two decades, a clean break from the paid regional sports network years. It is a bet that free television still builds a fan base.

Coverage reaches well past the city. Partner stations will carry games in Grand Rapids, Flint, Saginaw, Bay City, Lansing, Alpena and Traverse City, spreading the broadcast across much of the Lower Peninsula. The team is also set for 19 national TV appearances.

For anyone who would rather watch on a phone, every locally televised game will also stream on DAZN.

On the radio, 97.1 The Ticket remains the flagship and will carry all 82 games, with WWJ 950 AM and WDZH 98.7 FM stepping in when schedules collide.

The voices are familiar. George Blaha returns for his 51st season calling play-by-play on television, with Greg Kelser, in his 40th season, alongside him. On radio, Mark Champion handles play-by-play with former Bad Boy Rick Mahorn on analysis. The TV coverage also brings back analysts Grant Long and Dwane Casey and hosts Johnny Kane and Natalie Kerwin, with Kara Liles joining as a reporter.

Preseason tips off first. The Pistons host Phoenix on October 5, visit Washington on October 10 and Minnesota on October 14, then host Toronto on October 16, all on Detroit 20. The regular season opens October 20 against the Boston Celtics.

How to watch: point an antenna at channel 20, tune the radio to 97.1 FM, or open DAZN. The full announcement is posted on the team's site at nba.com/pistons.