The Pistons aren’t just the kings of the court these days. They’re proving to be ratings royalty, too.
The two developments, of course, are not unrelated.
“The team performance always helps,” said Randy Stephens, senior vice president and general manager for FanDuel Sports Network’s Midwest region, including FDSN Detroit. “We are seeing growth across all our teams this year. I don’t think that’s the only thing, but it’d be foolish not to pretend it’s not the major driver. … The Pistons’ performance has been incredible, and we’ve all enjoyed having a seat to watch it.”
Through the first quarter or so of the NBA season, the Pistons’ TV audience has swelled, with the total audience, including in-market and out-of-market, linear (traditional TV) and streaming, growing by 97% year over year, according to Nilsen and Google Analytics data shared by FanDuel Sports Network with The Detroit News. The Pistons’ total audience averages 88,000 viewers a game, in-market and out-of-market, linear and streaming.
According to FanDuel Sports Network, the Pistons’ are averaging 30,370 linear TV households in the Detroit Metro area, an increase of 89% year over year. The Pistons are averaging 26,630 unique streamers a game, up 217% year over year, a sign that FanDuel’s expanding footprint in the streaming world, including a partnership with Amazon Prime, is seeing results.
These numbers are part of a trend that has seen viewing audience growth substantially for the Tigers and Red Wings recently, too, as those teams have continued to improve on the field and on the ice.
But the Pistons’ numbers are eye-popping, just like their record: 21-5 after Monday’s win at Boston, for the best record in the Eastern Conference and second-best in the NBA.
Team performance tells one part of the story, of course, and the biggest part. But access to the games has been key, too, and FanDuel Sports Network Detroit is accessible on more platforms than ever before, either through the traditional cable package, the FDSN app, or through an Amazon Prime add-on.
FanDuel Sports Network Detroit officials said the Detroit market has 90,000 unique streamers (or subscribers), an increase of 180% year over year, as of Dec. 7. (All of the numbers in this report are as of Dec. 7.) Having three competitive teams, for year-round viewer interest, has been critical in retaining subscribers, who can buy streaming subscriptions by the month or the calendar year, Stephens said.
Last month, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit reported a total audience averaging nearly 119,000 viewers a game for Red Wings games, a 32% increase year over year. The Red Wings also were averaging nearly 30,000 unique streamers per game, up 59% year over year. Those numbers were among the leaders in the NHL, as the Red Wings, at 18-12-3, are tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
But the Pistons’ viewing audience growth, Stephens said, is the runaway leader for the regional sports network’s NBA footprint, which includes 13 teams. FanDuel Sports Network’s RSNs reported linear television audience growth of 2% and total audience growth of 12% across all 13 NBA teams.
The Pistons, like the Tigers and Red Wings, stuck with FanDuel Sports Network Detroit as its parent company emerged from bankruptcy early in 2025, albeit at a smaller (and undisclosed) rights fee. The Pistons, though, say their partnership with FDSN Detroit is strong, as both parties continue to work together on improving the broadcast, including mic’ing up head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, interviewing coaches coming out of halftime, moving the pregame and postgame shows to the court, and featuring more player interviews.
Of course, there’s never a substitute for winning, which is why the Pistons’ stark TV growth at this point in the season, competing first with the baseball playoffs and now with college football and the NFL, is so notable.
“Traditionally, the NBA starts to peak (in) interest after Christmas, the five games that are usually on Christmas,” said Kevin Grigg, Pistons senior vice president and chief of communications who oversees the broadcasts.
“I would expect as we roll into the new year, it’ll continue to grow.”
Grigg said the Pistons also have seen significant growth in ticket sales, with a 50% increase in ticket sales and a nearly 30% increase in per-game attendance, year over year. The Pistons are averaging more than 19,000 fans per home game at Little Caesars Arena.