What happened: The Milwaukee Bucks announced a deal with Rincon Broadcasting Group to air all 82 regular-season games plus their final three Summer League games free over the air on MY24 and statewide affiliates. Fiserv Forum president Josh Glessing called it a return to full-season over-the-air coverage for the first time in more than three decades. The full statewide affiliate list and streaming details will be announced later.
Why it matters: The deal ends a 19-year run under regional sports network exclusivity that changed hands from Fox Sports Wisconsin to Bally Sports Wisconsin to Sports Network Wisconsin, following parent company Main Street Sports' April closure of its regional-network operations. That collapse pushed 13 NBA teams and seven NHL teams, including the Bucks, into new TV arrangements.
By the numbers: The Bucks aired 23 games free over the previous three seasons through a Wiegel Broadcasting Company partnership on WMLW, CBS 58 and Telemundo. Their last fully free-to-air season came in 2006-07, before the original Fox Sports Wisconsin deal.
What to watch: The new broadcast partnership opens with a Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs, with additional Summer League matchups against the Suns and Hornets to follow before the regular season.