The Detroit Tigers announced today that broadcasters Dan Dickerson and Jason Benetti have signed long-term extensions with the club. This keeps them locked in as the lead voices for Detroit SportsNet and Tigers baseball for several more years to come. The duo has worked as a team the past few seasons already, with Dickerson handling the television broadcasts when Benetti’s national obligations take him away from the Tigers for certain events.
The length of the deals wasn’t made public, but the Tigers
continue to draw high marks both nationally and locally for their broadcasts, and the rollout of Detroit SportsNet this season has seemingly gone quite well, so getting them locked up long-term makes sense. In the wake of their independent regional sports networks collapse after the long saga of Bally Sports and then FanDuel Sports trying to hang onto the old model, the Tigers are in a pretty good place in terms of their broadcast production and on air talent, and things will remain consistent for a while.
Dickerson has now been one of the voices of Tigers radio since 2000 and the lead play-by-play voice of their radio broadcasts since 2003 after he succeeded one of the all-time greats in Ernie Harwell. He’s on his way to a similar place in Tigers broadcast history, though catching Harwell’s 42 year career as the voice of Tigers baseball will be difficult. His appearances handling the television broadcast will be expanded somewhat next season in support of Benetti, who continues to be one of the most sought after all-around voices in sports.
2026 was Benetti’s third season in Detroit after coming over from the Chicago White Sox for the 2024 season. He remains the play-by-play voice for NBC Sports “Sunday Night Baseball” while also handling some college football and basketball, including working some NCAA tournament games during March Madness.
The Tigers had prepared for the eventual RSN collapse by hiring Dickerson and Benetti as team employees, rather than as employees of Bally or FanDuel. So the transition out of the RSN model went pretty smoothly, with the Detroit SportsNet rollout this season a pretty successful one. Dickerson and Benetti will be the center of the team’s broadcasts for several more years to come. The duo also collaborates to host the Have a Seat podcast on the Detroit Tigers YouTube channel, interviewing players and coaches throughout the season.
“We’re incredibly proud to have Jason and Dan as the voices of Tigers baseball, and grateful for their eagerness to make an even deeper commitment to our organization,” said Ryan Gustafson, President and CEO of Ilitch Sports + Entertainment. “Several years ago, we made a deliberate decision to improve how we engage with our fans, and building a broadcast worthy of them was central to the effort. Jason and Dan, alongside many others, continue to deliver an entertaining and informed broadcast that is among the best in baseball.”
