Less than a week after announcing the formation of a regional sports network in Ohio, Gray Television says it will franchise the same idea for a new sports-focused broadcast channel in South Carolina.
On Thursday, the broadcaster said it is launching Palmetto Sports & Entertainment on five of its TV stations in four South Carolina markets, including one that will carry the network’s programming on its main signal.
The network will be based out of WIS-TV (Channel 10, Gray’s TV station in Columbia, and will focus on local sports and entertainment programming from across the state. Games from the Charleston Battery (soccer) and Columbia Fireflies (baseball) teams will be among the live events offered on Palmetto Sports & Entertainment.
The stations that will carry the Palmetto Sports & Entertainment network are:
- WIS-TV (Channel 10.4) and WPAM (Channel 18.1) in Columbia
- WHNS (Channel 21.2) in Spartanburg
- WZCH (Channel 35.3) in Charleston
- WMBF (Channel 32.3) in Myrtle Beach
“We’re having fun creating new fans,” WIS Vice President and General Manager Robby Thomas said in a statement on Thursday. “Our audience tells us how much they appreciate watching live sports for free over-the-air. We recognize the power of sports to connect communities, and we’re thrilled to launch this statewide.”
“We couldn’t be more pleased with our partnership with Gray Media throughout this year,” said Charleston Battery Club President Lee Cohen. “The exposure of the Battery to local sports fans who haven’t been able to make it to Patriots Point was a priority for us this past offseason, and we are encouraged by the direction of launching this network to reach even more fans in the near future.”
“It has been really exciting for our broadcast team to work with WIS to make some of our games available to watch for free,” said Columbia Fireflies Team President Brad Shank. “We have had great feedback from fans, and we are looking forward to expanding these opportunities.”
Several schools and colleagues will also have their live events broadcast on the network, including an official media partnership with Clemson University through Gray’s TV station in the Spartanburg market.
“We are proud to be an Official Partner of Clemson Athletics and couldn’t be more grateful,” said WHNS FOX Carolina Vice President and General Manager Bryce Caldwell. “It will give viewers the opportunity to see re-imagined Clemson coaches shows, specials and unique content you can’t find anywhere else.”
“This is an incredibly impactful way to bring our award-winning content to more of our fans in their homes alongside a partner with the firepower to expand the footprint of our original programming,” said Kyle Caddell, President of Clemson Athletics’ partnerships team.
Interested sports leagues and teams are encouraged to contact WIS-TV about carriage of their events on the network.
Palmetto Sports & Entertainment is the second sports-focused broadcast venture announced by Gray Television over the past two weeks. In late July, the broadcaster said it was forming a new regional sports outlet with Rock Entertainment Group called the Rock Entertainment Sports Network, offered primarily in Ohio.
