TL;DR: Most Detroit Pistons games air on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, and the cheapest cable-free way in is the FanDuel Sports Network app at roughly $20 a month (or DirecTV Stream if you want it bundled with other channels). National games on ABC and NBC are free with an antenna, and Peacock, Prime Video and ESPN cover the rest of the national slate.

That's the short version. If you're here because Jalen Duren's name is all over your feed and you suddenly realized you don't know where Pistons games even show up anymore, keep reading. I went through every option with my usual question in mind: what's the least I can pay and still not miss a Cade Cunningham fourth quarter?

Start with the free stuff, because I always do

I'll be honest, the Pistons are not a great "free" team. The Lions get a ton of over-the-air games. The Pistons mostly don't, because NBA local rights sit on a regional sports network rather than a broadcast station. So the free options are narrower than football fans are used to, but they're not zero.

An antenna gets you the ABC and NBC games. The NBA's national deal now splits games between ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon. Any Pistons game that lands on ABC (usually weekend afternoons and Saturday nights) or on NBC (Sunday nights once football wraps, plus some other windows) is free if you've got a $25 antenna and a decent signal. Detroit gets both stations over the air. If you live somewhere hilly or far from the towers, a slightly pricier amplified antenna is still a one-time cost, which beats a monthly fee every time.

The NBA app runs free previews. Every season League Pass opens up for a free preview week around opening night, and the NBA app periodically drops a free game. It's not a plan, it's a bonus. But I always set a reminder for it.

Trials are real, but don't build a season on them. Prime Video gives new members a 30-day trial, DirecTV Stream runs a short trial (usually five days), and Fubo does the same. That's a couple of free weeks if you time it right. It is not a way to watch 82 games, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

The local games: this is your real monthly cost

Here's the part that actually decides your budget. Roughly 60-plus Pistons games a season are local broadcasts on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (the network formerly called Bally Sports Detroit). If you can't get that channel, you can't watch most of the season. Full stop.

Your cable-free ways to get it:

  • The FanDuel Sports Network app, direct. This is the one I'd start with. You subscribe straight from the network, no bundle, and stream Pistons games (plus Red Wings and Tigers when their seasons overlap) in the app. Pricing is typically around $20 a month, with a discounted annual plan somewhere near $190. Check the official site because they tweak it, but that ballpark has held for a while.
  • Prime Video Channels. FanDuel Sports Network is available as an add-on inside Prime Video in its markets, for about the same price as the direct app. If you already have Prime, this is the same content with one less login to remember. The app is honestly smoother than the standalone one too.
  • DirecTV Stream. This is the only major live TV streaming bundle that reliably carries FanDuel Sports Networks. The catch is you need the Choice tier or higher, and that runs well over $100 a month. The cheaper path is DirecTV's MySports genre pack, which lands around $70 a month and includes the regional sports network plus ESPN, NBC, ABC and more. If you want everything in one app, MySports is the least painful way to do it.
  • Traditional cable or satellite. Spectrum and DirecTV satellite carry it. Comcast Xfinity pushed FanDuel Sports Network into a higher tier a while back, so if you're a Comcast household, confirm your package actually includes it before the season starts.

And the ones that won't help: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling do not carry FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. People sign up for YouTube TV assuming it has everything, then wonder why the Pistons are missing. Fubo's regional sports coverage is market-by-market and has changed over the years, so run your zip code through their channel finder rather than trusting a blog post (including this one).

One more detail that trips people up: NBA League Pass does not solve this if you live in Michigan. League Pass blacks out your local team in your local market. It's an out-of-market product. Which brings us to...

Living outside Michigan? Different math entirely

If you're a Pistons fan in, say, Phoenix or Atlanta, forget the regional network. NBA League Pass is your whole answer for local broadcasts. It runs somewhere around $17 a month for the standard plan, with a Premium tier (no ads, more simultaneous streams) a few dollars more, and a full-season price that saves you money if you commit up front. You'll get every Pistons game that isn't a national exclusive, and you can pick the Detroit announcers, which I genuinely think is half the reason to pay for it.

National exclusives are still blacked out on League Pass, so you'll need the next section too.

National games: the four-app problem

The Pistons have been good enough lately that they draw real national windows now, which is great for the team and mildly annoying for your wallet. Here's where those games go:

  • ESPN / ABC. ABC is free over the air. ESPN games need either a live TV bundle (Sling Orange at around $46 a month is the cheapest one with ESPN) or the standalone ESPN Unlimited streaming plan at about $30 a month. I only pay for ESPN in bursts, usually around the playoffs.
  • NBC / Peacock. NBC games are free with an antenna. Peacock has its own exclusive NBA nights (Monday has been the big one) and you need at least the ad-supported Premium plan, about $11 a month. Peacock rarely offers a free trial anymore, but it runs deep discounts on annual plans a few times a year. Black Friday is when I renew mine.
  • Amazon Prime Video. Prime carries a Thursday and Friday package plus a chunk of the postseason. If you already pay for Prime ($15 a month or $139 a year) you're covered; if you don't, this is the one subscription I'd say has enough non-basketball value to justify keeping around.

You don't need all of these for all 82 games. Pull up the Pistons schedule once in October, count how many games actually fall on ESPN, Peacock and Prime, and subscribe only for the months that matter.

My actual cheap stack for a Michigan fan

If I lived in the Detroit market and wanted the most games for the least money, I'd do this:

  1. Antenna for ABC and NBC. One-time cost, done forever.
  2. FanDuel Sports Network via the direct app or Prime Channels, roughly $20 a month, October through April. Cancel in the offseason. Always cancel in the offseason.
  3. Prime Video, since I'd have it anyway.
  4. Peacock only in the months it has Pistons exclusives, and ESPN only if the playoffs justify it.

That's about $30 to $35 a month during the season for nearly everything, versus $100-plus for a full live TV bundle. If you'd rather have one app and no juggling, DirecTV's MySports pack at about $70 is the honest middle ground.

Time-sensitive: the Jalen Duren situation (as of late September 2026)

This is the part that will age, so I'm quarantining it here. Duren, the Pistons' starting center, skipped media day amid a contract standoff as a restricted free agent, with reports saying he feels disrespected by the negotiations and the two sides are at a stalemate ahead of the early-October qualifying offer deadline. Whether he signs a long-term deal, plays on the qualifying offer, or this drags into camp, none of it changes where the games air. It might change how much you want to watch them. Check ESPN or the team site for the latest, since this could be resolved by the time you read it.

FAQ

Can I watch the Pistons on YouTube TV? Only the national games on ABC, NBC and ESPN. YouTube TV does not carry FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, so the local games are missing.

Is there a free way to watch every Pistons game? No. Antenna games and occasional NBA app freebies are the only legitimate free options, and they cover a minority of the schedule.

Does League Pass work in Detroit? It works, but Pistons games are blacked out in the local market. It's for out-of-market fans.

Are any Pistons games on regular local TV? Historically almost none, unlike the Lions. Teams occasionally add a handful of over-the-air simulcasts, so check the official Pistons broadcast schedule each fall.

Cheapest single subscription for Pistons games? The FanDuel Sports Network app at around $20 a month, if you're in Michigan. League Pass if you're not.

That's the whole map. Set your cancellations for May, keep the antenna, and enjoy the season. I'll be over here checking whether Duren shows up to camp like everyone else.

— Theo

— Theo Nguyen