Rock Entertainment Group and broadcaster Gray Television have teamed up to launch a new regional sports network that will be distributed through over-the-air and pay TV.
The channel, called Rock Entertainment Sports Network, will serve as the home of the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters, the NBA G League’s Cleveland Charge and other regional sports events, including some high school and college sports.
Rock Entertainment Sports will be available through WOIO (Channel 19, CBS) in Cleveland and WXIX (Channel 19, Fox) in Cincinnati, with plans to offer the network directly to consumers over streaming. Gray is also working with cable, satellite and streaming cable-like providers to make the channel available to subscribers of those services as well.
“Our fans are the lifeblood of Rock Entertainment Group,” Nick Barlage, the CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, said in a statement. “We are constantly looking for ways to evolve the opportunities our fans have to engage with all sports across our region and state. From our dynamic college and professional teams to our semiprofessional and high school sports, passion, pride and our commitment to delivering world-class experiences via these sports is deeply ingrained in our culture.”
Barlage continued: “The establishment of Rock Entertainment Sports Network will offer fans in Ohio unparalleled access to all levels of competitive sports and provide our diverse array of sports teams an unprecedented platform to connect with fans of all interests.”
Gray says the channel will bring around-the-clock access to sports and entertainment programming to millions of homes in Ohio.
“We are looking forward to working with Rock Entertainment Group to bring free, over-the-air sports to Ohio’s great fans,” Sandy Breland, the Chief Operating Officer at Gray, said on Thursday. “Our strong Ohio television stations and corporate teams are ready to bring this new sports television model to Ohio.”
Rock Entertainment Sports is tentatively scheduled to launch in Cleveland and Cincinnati next month, with plans to offer the channel in other parts of Ohio in the coming months.
It is the latest endeavor from a broadcaster to bring more live sports to broadcast TV. Two years ago, the E. W. Scripps Company announced it was launching a new division called Scripps Sports with a focus on bringing premium sports and entertainment to its local broadcast stations and national network Ion Television.
A few months after the launch of Scripps Sports, Gray announced its own deal to bring Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury games to free broadcast TV after their long-time home for distribution, Bally Sports, filed for bankruptcy protection. Last August, executives at Gray said they were focused on forging more sports-related deals with leagues and teams.
“Our discussions with other teams and leagues indicate that the new sports rights deal we have in Arizona can work in other markets as well,” Pat LaPlatney, Gray Television’s president and chief executive, said on a conference call with investors. “Whether we replicate that structure or find new ways to partner with professional franchises, we see a growing recognition in the market at returning professional sports to local broadcast stations will increase marketing value, advertising sales revenues, fan engagement as well as team value.”
