Phoenix Suns, Mercury leaving Bally Sports Arizona for Gray Television, Inc.

Goodbye, Bally Sports Arizona.

Hello Gray Television, Inc. and Kiswe.

The Phoenix Suns will have their games televised and streamed “with or without a pay TV subscription,” by those companies starting next season while the Phoenix Mercury will air on them starting this season. The WNBA’s Mercury open the 2023 regular season on May 19 at the Los Angeles Sparks.

KTVK (Arizona’s Family 3TV), KPHO (Arizona’s Family CBS5), the statewide KPHE (AZ Family Sports Network) and Kiswe are part of the partnership with Gray Television. KPHE serves the Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma media markets. Kiswe is an interactive video company.

“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,” said Suns and Mercury team owner Mat Ishbia in a news release.

The release stated that Gray Television and Kiswe will “deliver 100%” of the Suns and Mercury’s locally broadcasted games on television and through streaming.

The Suns are on a agreement up to five years while the Mercury have a two-year deal.

ESPN/ESPN+ is handling the Mercury's first two games with the second being the home opener on May 21 against the Chicago Sky.

Their third game on May 25 against the Minnesota Lynx doesn't have a network listing. The Mercury will release their full broadcast schedule in the coming weeks.

“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,” Ishbia continued. “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.”

Have questions? Suns, Mercury television deal: What you need to know

Bally Sports Arizona was once Fox Sports Arizona before rebranding in March 2021. It is one of 19 regional sports networks owned by Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, which in March announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it missed a $140 million interest payment.

At the time Diamond said it had about $425 million on hand to continue operating during bankruptcy. The company is seeking to negotiate a new agreement that would eliminate most of its roughly $8.67 billion debt. The plan would make Diamond a separate company from its current parent, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

There is no immediate impact on Bally Sports Arizona’s coverage of the Diamondbacks, but Major League Baseball continues to monitor the situation.

Diamond has missed payments to some clubs, including the Diamondbacks. At the start of spring training, Commissioner Rob Manfred said Diamond has told MLB that it intends to pay its contracts for this season, and he emphasized that “our first choice would be that Diamond pay the clubs what they're contractually obligated to pay them.”

If Diamond is unable to pay teams, though, its broadcast agreements will be terminated. At that point, Manfred said, baseball would step in and produce games through MLB Network. It would then go directly to television providers such as Comcast, Spectrum and DirecTV and make an agreement to have those games distributed.

Financial details weren’t disclosed on the Suns/Mercury deal with Gray Television, Inc. and Kiswe.

With its headquarters in Atlanta, Gray Television is the "largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets in the United States," according to its website.

The Suns and Mercury will have all non-national exclusive games broadcast between KTVK and KPHE, the news release stated. The Suns will have a minimum of 70 games broadcast, with at least 40 regular-season games on KTVK and the remaining on KPHE.

The new deal is projected to reach nearly 2.8 million households in Arizona. Kiswe gives fan access to Suns and Mercury games through a DTC streaming option alongside the over-the-air broadcast product.

Drama: Diamond Sports Group accuses Suns of breach of contract in leaving Bally Sports Arizona

Subscribers can access the DTC streaming through a Suns or Mercury branded app on their smartphones or Smart TVs. The Mercury will have free DTC streaming this season.

“Cord cutters, cable subscribers, fans with an antenna – everyone will be able to watch Suns and Mercury games on Arizona’s Family,” Ishbia added in the news release. “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.”

The Republic's Theo Mackie contributed to this report.

Related: Diamondbacks fans fuming over limited Bally Sports Arizona TV, streaming options

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns, Mercury leaving Bally Sports Arizona for Gray Television, Inc.