A revival is underway in sports media as Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group (REG), the company that owns the Cleveland Cavaliers and other assets, is launching a sports platform with Gray Media called Rock Entertainment Sports Network.
The new program will broadcast sports games for several other teams under the REG umbrella—the Cleveland Charge (Cavs’ NBA G League affiliate), the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, the Frontier League’s Lake Erie Crushers—as well as games from varsity high school. . The games will be shown on local Gray stations in Cleveland (WUAB, WOIO) and Cincinnati (WXIX).
The two teams have a long-standing relationship, and recently teamed up to broadcast many of the Cavaliers’ regular season games in April as well as the Monsters’ AHL games. “Northeast Ohio is a very big area, and it’s a very, very hungry, aggressive fanbase when it comes to sports programs,” Mike Conley, the Cavs’ vice president, said in a phone interview. “It was really exciting and an opportunity for us to deliver the most sought-after content at the right time where we were able to bring such a great speed to our fans. They listened in droves.”
“We’re partnering with the network,” David Hughes, vice president and general manager of Gray Media, said in a phone interview. “We will come together as partners to bring sports to the people of Ohio. This is not a transactional relationship; this is 100% partnership. The Rock Entertainment Group has been providing sports and entertainment to the people of Ohio for many years. Gray Media, which owns WOIO and WUAB, has been providing sports and entertainment news to the people of Ohio for many years. So it makes sense that our two companies have come together and make them something that I think will be very important.”
Hughes added that although this is an online network, streaming car deals on mobile devices still work.
A major highlight for both REG and Gray was the ability to bring high school sports back to the local airwaves for the first time in 15 years. The network had stopped broadcasting high school games in prime time, because viewers could not afford the same amount of advertising that was regularly scheduled.
“What’s unique about this partnership is that we’re creating a new network,” Conley said. “This will be a network dedicated to sports programming 24/7/365 dedicated to serving the needs of the residents of Northeast Ohio. We will not be removing prime-time shows from a large member of the CBS, the CW affiliate, etc., but now we have a destination and a pre-defined place where fans can get this great content all the time.”
In addition to bringing prep sports back to free television, RESN comes at an interesting time for the Charge and Monsters. The Cavs’ 2023 second-round pick Emoni Bates has been successful with The Charge, hoping to become a core piece for the Cavs. This past season in the AHL, the Monsters fell just one game short of reaching the Calder Cup Final.
Of course, the project begins as the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy saga continues to play out. On Wednesday, the beleaguered RSN provider was given another delay in unveiling its contingency plan as it works to seal a new deal with Comcast after a weeks-long standoff. DSG operates Bally Sports in Ohio, which has carried Cavaliers games under various banners since 1990.
When asked if RESN could be the next home of the Cavaliers, Conley reiterated that the team is still under contract with DSG for the 2024-25 NBA season. “We look forward to having our games broadcast on their network again next year, and we continue to follow their lead in the recession as we aim to give our fans an opportunity, ” he said.
While the Phoenix Suns are the only NBA team to completely abandon the RSN model so far, several NHL teams have abandoned their network homes for broadcast television and broadcast options. streaming due to the misfortune of DSG and Warner Bros. Discovery is from the RSN business.
Recently, the Dallas Stars launched a free streaming platform called Victory+, as the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers linked up with Scripps Sports, a year after the former champion Vegas Golden Knights did so. Seattle Kraken combines access to local TENGA channels with streaming access to Prime Video.
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