Television channels are increasingly chasing after lucrative sports rights, and Dr. Phil McGraw wants in on the action.
Starting this summer, McGraw’s Merit Street Media cable channel will offer coverage of Professional Bull Riders (PBR) events as part of a four-year deal with the organization.
Some PBR events currently air on CBS, where they will remain through 2030. The remainder will be relegated to Merit Street Media, which time-shares with Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) on some cable and satellite systems and over-the-air broadcast channels.
“I think we’ll bring viewers to bull riding, and I think bull riding will bring viewers to us,” McGraw said in an interview with entertainment trade publication Variety.
Under the deal, Merit Street Media will offer PBR Teams events, PBR “Unleash the Beast” and 50 episodes of the analysis program “PBR Now.” Some of those shows and events were previously aired on the CBS Sports Network.
CBS will continue to carry other PBR sports events on the flagship broadcast network, CBS Sports Network and on the streaming service Paramount Plus with Showtime.
“PBR’s aptitude for growth and dynamic spirit have pushed them to new heights, and we look forward to delivering PBR to viewers across the country on CBS and Paramount Plus, with more broadcast hours than ever before,” Dan Weinberg, the Executive Vice President of CBS Sports, said in a statement.
