How to watch the Phoenix Mercury on 1st over-the-air game of 2023

May 25, 2023, 3:24 PM

Brittney Griner, Sophie Cunningham, Diana Taurasi...

Sophie Cunningham #9, Diana Taurasi #3, Brittney Griner #42 and Moriah Jefferson #8 of the Phoenix Mercury walk onto the court during the second half of the WNBA game at Footprint Center on May 21, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

BY ARIZONA SPORTS

The Phoenix Mercury play their first over-the-air television broadcast of 2023 on Thursday when they host the Minnesota Lynx at Footprint Center.

The third game of the year for the Mercury (0-2) is the debut under the team’s new local TV deal with Gray Television and streaming service Kiswe.

ESPN and ESPN+ carried the first two games, losses to the Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky.

Phoenix’s first local broadcast will take place after the team and its NBA counterpart, the Phoenix Suns, announced a new partnership with Gray, which operates AZ Family 3TV (KTVK) and AZ Family Sports Network 44 (KPHE). The deal involving the Suns was voided for now by a judge because the NBA team was still under contract with Diamond Sports, which operates Bally Sports Arizona.

Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Diamond has frozen assets, allowing it to refinance and reorganize. The broadcasting rights contract includes a right of refusal that allows the company to match any new deal signed by the teams if the rights are for less money.

The Mercury portion of the new television deal, however, was not included in the judge’s recent ruling, and the new partnership will debut Thursday.

The move to a new combination of over-the-air and streaming deals is projected to triple the number of fans who can tune in to Suns and Mercury games, according to the teams.

Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s game.