The 2023 season will be great for Pistons fans. All but one game will air locally on Bally Sports Detroit if you live in the Pistons market, and nearly every game will air on NBA League pass for Pistons fans outside the Detroit area. Read on to learn how you can stream the next Pistons game and every Detroit Pistons game this season, no matter where you live.
Watch Every Pistons Game This Season
- Detroit Pistons TV Market: throughout Michigan, as well as in northeastern Indiana, northwest Ohio and some portions of northeastern Wisconsin
- Best Solution when inside their TV Market: Watch all games on Bally Sports Detroit through the DIRECTV STREAM streaming service (sign up online). There are no Pistons games on ABC or TNT. There is one nationally broadcast game on ESPN, but that will air locally on Bally Sports Detroit
- Best Solution when living Outside the Pistons TV Market: Watch nearly all Pistons games on NBA League Pass (sign up online). The service includes NBA TV so you can watch the 4 Pistons games on that channel through League Pass. The Pistons have 1 game on ESPN that won’t be on league pass. Your most affordable option for ESPN is Sling’s Orange plan, but the channel is also available on DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, fuboTV, and YouTube TV
What Channel Are The Pistons On
Where you can watch the Detroit Pistons depends on whether or not you live inside the Detroit Pistons TV market (throughout Michigan, as well as in northeastern Indiana, northwest Ohio and some portions of northeastern Wisconsin). If you live inside that market, you can watch Pistons games on Bally Sports Detroit using a streaming service that carries the network. However, if you live outside that market, you will need a subscription to NBA League Pass, and a streaming service that carries ESPN (Since no Pistons games are on TNT or ABC this year.) Let’s take a look at your options based on where you live.
Watching Pistons Games In Market
If you live in the Pistons TV market, you can watch the Pistons on Bally Sports Detroit, the Pistons regional sports network. If you live in the Pistons broadcast areas, you can watch their regional sports network without cable on the following streaming services.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live streaming service that carries Bally Sports Detroit for those living in their broadcast region. However, you must subscribe to their “Choice” package for $108.99 per month. You can sign up online. They don’t force you into a contract, and you can cancel at any time. DIRECTV STREAM also carries ESPN, NBA TV, ABC, and TNT which is great for basketball fans. The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
FuboTV
fuboTV is a live streaming service that carries Bally Sports Detroit for those living in their broadcast region. They offer a 1-week free trial, which you can cancel within the trial period and not be charged. It’s also cheaper than DIRECTV STREAM at $74.99 per month. However, fuboTV subscribers in this area will be subject to a mandatory regional sports fee between $10.99 and $13.99 per month, depending on how many RSNs are in your area. You can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The price includes a cloud DVR and the ability to stream on 3 devices at once. (see our review of FuboTV)
Bally Sports+
Bally Sports has a direct-to-customer streaming service called Bally Sports Plus. Bally Sports+ carries Detroit Pistons games airing on Bally Sports. Bally Sports+ is currently available on iOS and Android mobile smart devices, along with tvOS (Apple TV), Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV streaming devices and smart TVs. See our article, Is Bally Sports Worth the Price for more details.
You can subscribe to Bally Sports+ at BallySportsPlus.com for $189.99 annually or $19.99 each month and live stream games airing on Bally Sports Detroit or Bally Sports Detroit Extra through the Bally Sports app. To subscribe, you must live in the Bally Sports Detroit TV market. You are most likely outside the intended TV market if you do not see Bally Sports+ available on BallySportsPlus.com or within the Bally Sports app. You won’t have access to all the channels you get with DIRECTV STREAM, but it’s a cheaper way to watch Bally Sports Detroit.
Watching Pistons Games Outside of Their TV Market
If you live outside the Pistons market, then most games will be available with a subscription to NBA League Pass. The exception is Pistons games nationally broadcast on ESPN and TNT. To watch those games, you need a streaming service that carries those channels; like DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV. I cover these services below.
NBA League Pass
To watch most Pistons games if you live outside the Detroit market, you will need NBA League Pass. NBA League Pass will show every Pistons game except the one exclusively airing nationally on ESPN. NBA League Pass also provides access to NBA TV, so you are covered when they broadcast the occasional Pistons game.
NBA League Pass provides three ways to subscribe:
- Team Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Detroit Pistons for $13.99 per month or $89.99 per year.
- League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for the Detroit Pistons and every other team for $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
- Premium League Pass – Watch live, out-of-market games for every team for $22.99 per month or $149.99 per year. (commercial-free)
Keep in mind that there are blackout rules in effect. Games won’t be aired live if:
- They are being broadcast on ESPN, ABC, or TNT. (NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League pass.
- They are being broadcast where you live on the regional sports network’s broadcast area that owns the rights to air NBA games in your area. You will need a streaming service that carries your regional sports network like DIRECTV STREAM (sign up), to watch those games.
Pistons Games on ESPN
DIRECTV STREAM, Sling, or YouTube TV carry ESPN. However, NBA TV is included with a subscription to NBA League Pass. Therefore, if you have League Pass your options also include Hulu Live TV, as they carry TNT and ESPN. One of those services in addition to a subscription to NBA League Pass will provide live access to every Pistons game if you live outside their TV market.
Sling TV‘s “Orange Plan” with the Sports add-on carries ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV for a cost of $51 per month. Signing up for this Sling Plan and NBA League Pass will allow you to watch all 82 Pistons Game this season if you live outside of their TV market. You pay month to month with no contract and can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The base price includes a cloud DVR. (see our review of Sling TV)
DIRECTV STREAM Choice includes TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV and costs $108.99 per month. You can take advantage of their 5-day free trial. and they don’t force you into a contract, so you can cancel at any time. The service also includes a cloud DVR service and allows you to simultaneously stream to an unlimited number of devices in the home, and up to 3 outside the home. DIRECTV STREAM is supported on Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, iOS, Android, Roku, and more. See our review of DIRECTV STREAM for more details on this streaming service.
YouTube TV also provides ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT in their base package for $72.99 per month if you live in their broadcast area. The live streaming service also includes a DVR and supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. Like the other services, YouTube TV offers a free trial, cloud DVR, local broadcast channels, and many other features. Please read our review of YouTube TV for more details on their service.
Hulu Live TV costs $76.99 per month. After you sign up, the service provides ESPN, TNT, and ABC so you can watch nationally televised NBA games. You pay month to month with no contract and can cancel at any time. The service supports iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more. The base price includes a cloud DVR and the ability to stream on two devices at once, but the option to upgrade to unlimited streams. Hulu Live TV includes Hulu streaming library. (see our review of Hulu Live TV)
