American Sports Network

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American Sports Network
Type Ad hoc television network/syndication service
Availability Regional
(available on television stations in several markets, as well as select regional sports networks)
Founded July 17, 2014 (2014-07-17)
Headquarters Hunt Valley, Maryland
Parent Sinclair Networks
(Sinclair Broadcast Group)[1]
Key people
 Doron Gorshein
(COO, Sinclair Networks)
Launch date
 August 30, 2014 (2014-08-30)
Affiliates List of affiliates
Official website
 americansportsnet.com

American Sports Network (ASN) is the sports division of the U.S. television station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group through its Sinclair Networks subsidiary.[1] Formed in July 2014, ASN produces broadcasts of sporting events that are aired primarily across stations owned by Sinclair (in particular, The CW and MyNetworkTV stations owned and/or operated by the company, or, in some markets, on a digital subchannel of a Sinclair station), and syndicated to non-Sinclair stations and regional sports networks.

ASN primarily deals in college sports from NCAA Division I conferences, including live football and basketball games from the Atlantic 10 Conference, Big South Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League, Mid-American Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, and Western Athletic Conference, as well as a limited number of professional sports events. In 2015, ASN acquired regional rights to Real Salt Lake and DC United of Major League Soccer, with games airing on Sinclair stations in the teams' market area, as well as television rights to the newly established Arizona Bowl.

History

Sinclair Broadcast Group formally announced the launch of the American Sports Network on July 17, 2014; the service is led by Doron Gorshein, who joined the company in January 2014 in the role of chief operating officer of Sinclair Networks. ASN carries live broadcasts of mainly collegiate sporting events, along with ancillary programming focusing on colleges, their students and student-athletes. ASN's content would air primarily on Sinclair-owned-or-operated affiliates of The CW and MyNetworkTV or on secondary digital subchannels of other stations run by the company (some of which had carried content from competing syndicated sports distributors ESPN Regional Television and Raycom Sports until ASN's launch), the latter especially the case for its stations that have primary affiliations with one of the Big Four networks (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) which would not pre-empt the higher-tier sports coverage provided by their network partners. Sinclair opened ASN up for distribution by other broadcast outlets interested in carrying the service's content, and announced plans to expand ASN onto digital platforms.[2][3][4]

ASN planned to initially broadcast college football, men's and women's college basketball, women's college soccer, and college baseball events, beginning with the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS and FCS football seasons. Prior to the service's formal launch, Sinclair reached broadcast rights agreements with five NCAA Division I conferences, including Conference USA,[5] the Colonial Athletic Association, Big South Conference, Southern Conference,[6] and the Patriot League.[7]

ASN's first broadcasts took place on August 30, 2014, featuring two football games involving Conference USA teams (Old Dominion University vs. Hampton University and Florida International University hosting Bethune-Cookman University).[8]

In September 2014, Sinclair reached a two-year deal with the International Motor Sports Association to syndicate broadcasts of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge series through ASN beginning that year, with a renewal option that could be exercised in 2016. Its first race broadcast on September 13, 2014 was shown on Sinclair stations in at least 36 markets, marking the first non-college sporting event to be syndicated by ASN.[9]

On September 29, 2014, Sinclair announced a multi-year deal with the Western Athletic Conference to broadcast its games through ASN – marking the sixth conference to partner with the service. Sinclair also announced that it had reached syndication deals with stations in 67 markets where the company does not have a station in its portfolio to carry ASN's programming, expanding its total potential audience to 83 million viewers.[10][11]

On October 16, 2014, Jonathan B. LeCrone announced the Horizon League had entered into a deal with the American Sports Network to broadcast select games; subsequently on November 10, ASN entered into a broadcast contract with the Ohio Valley Conference.[12]

On December 2, 2014, ASN entered into the collegiate hockey field through an agreement that gave it the rights to air six Penn State Nittany Lions home games.[13] ASN later added two other men's ice hockey contests from the Big Ten Conference, featuring the Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes.[14]

On January 23, 2015, Sinclair announced that it had acquired regional television rights to Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer beginning in the 2015 season, with ASN handling production of the telecasts. KMYU and KUTV will air the games locally, and they will be syndicated to Sinclair stations in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada as well as in Boise, Idaho. Stations in Arizona and New Mexico would also be able to bid for the local rights to telecast the matches in their markets.[15]

On May 19, 2015, ASN announced that it had reached an agreement with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) to televise a weekly game during the 2015 season. ASN was scheduled to air a weekly game live from different individual leagues on Sunday nights, and would also air the all-star games for the Florida State League and the Midwest League.[1]

On June 24, 2015 the Southland Conference announced that ASN would televise select matches from their conference beginning with the 2015 fall football season. The ASN package would replace the Southland Conference TV Network syndication package.[16]

In September 2015, ASN reached a deal with the Mid-American Conference, sub-licensed through ESPN, to broadcast selected games. In the 2015–16 academic season, ASN will broadcast 10 football games, 10 men's basketball games, and 5 women's basketball games.[17] ASN also reached deals with the NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, including the Big Ten, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, to broadcast games as part of a Friday night package.[18]

In November 2015, it was announced that ASN had acquired broadcast rights to the inaugural Arizona Bowl.[19]

On December 18, 2015, DC United soccer club announced that ASN had acquired local broadcast rights to air the club's matches that are not on national television networks.[20] Sinclair Broadcasting owns local stations in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and West Virginia.[21]

On January 8, 2016, Sinclair announced that American Sports Network would launch as a dedicated, digital multicast network under the American Sports Network name in 10 cities on January 11, 2016.[22]

Programming

NCAA sports

2014–15

During the 2014–15 season, ASN televised live events from the following NCAA Division I conferences:

League Football Men's
basketball		 Women's
basketball		 Men's
ice hockey		 Men's
soccer		 Women's
soccer		 Baseball Softball Women's
volleyball		 Men's
lacrosse		 Women's
lacrosse
Atlantic 10 Conference[29] Yes Yes
Big South Conference Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Big Ten Conference Yes
Colonial Athletic Association[30] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Conference USA Yes Yes Yes Yes
Horizon League Yes
Ivy League[31] Yes Yes Yes
Ohio Valley Conference Yes
Patriot League Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Southern Conference Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Western Athletic Conference Yes Yes

2015–16

During the 2015–16 season, ASN will televise live events from the following NCAA Division I conferences:

League Football Men's
basketball		 Women's
basketball		 Men's
ice hockey		 Women's
ice hockey		 Men's
soccer		 Women's
soccer		 Baseball Softball Women's
volleyball		 Men's
lacrosse		 Women's
lacrosse
American Athletic Conference[32] Yes
Atlantic 10 Conference[33] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Big South Conference[34] Yes Yes Yes
Big Ten Conference[35] Yes
Colonial Athletic Association[36] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Conference USA[37] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ECAC Hockey[38] Yes
Hockey East[39] Yes Yes
Horizon League[40] Yes
Ivy League[41] Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mid-American Conference[17] Yes Yes Yes
National Collegiate Hockey Conference[42] Yes
Ohio Valley Conference[43] Yes Yes Yes
Patriot League[44] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Southern Conference[45] Yes Yes Yes
Southland Conference[46] Yes Yes
Western Athletic Conference[47] Yes Yes Yes
Western Collegiate Hockey Association[38] Yes

ASN has also acquired the D2 Game of the Week rights and will televise NCAA Division II football and men's and women's basketball on their network during 2015–16. The D2 package was formerly on CBS Sports Network.

List of affiliates

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Main article: List of stations owned or operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group

American Sports Network telecasts primarily air on stations owned or managed by Sinclair Broadcast Group; this includes stations operated by the firm under local marketing agreements or similar pacts, which itself includes stations owned by companies such as Cunningham Broadcasting, Deerfield Media, and Howard Stirk Holdings among others.[2] These telecasts are not always scheduled to appear on a station's main digital subchannel nor on a fixed single station where Sinclair owns and/or manages more than one station.

In addition to the Sinclair stations, ASN's events have also been syndicated to other broadcasters;

Other broadcast affiliates

City of license/market Station[48] Virtual
channel		 Owner Primary affiliation

Alabama
Birmingham WBMA 58.3 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[49]
Huntsville–Decatur WZDX 54.2 Nexstar Broadcasting Group MyNetworkTV

Connecticut
Hartford–New Haven WCTX 59.1 Media General MyNetworkTV

Georgia
Atlanta WATL 36.1 Tegna, Inc. MyNetworkTV
Macon WMUB-LD 38.1 Mercer University France 24

Illinois
Springfield–Decatur–Champaign WBUI 23.1 GOCOM Media
(operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)		 The CW

Indiana
Indianapolis WRTV 6.2 E. W. Scripps Company Hometown Sports Indiana

Kentucky
Bowling Green WKYU-TV 24.1[50] Western Kentucky University PBS
Louisville WAVE-TV 3.1 Raycom Media NBC

Louisiana
Alexandria KBCA 41.1[51] Wilderness Communications The CW
Lafayette KLWB 50.1[51] Delta Media Corporation MeTV
Monroe-El Dorado, AR KNOE-TV 8.3[51] Gray Television The CW
New Orleans WUPL 54.1[51] Tegna, Inc. MyNetworkTV
Shreveport-Texarkana, AR KPXJ 21.1[51] KTBS, LLC (Wray family) The CW

Maine
Portland WGME-TV 13.3 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[22]

Maryland
Baltimore WUTB 24.3 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[22]

Michigan
Detroit WADL 38.1 Adell Broadcasting Corporation ASN

North Carolina
Charlotte WCCB 18.1 Bahakel Communications The CW
Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point WXLV-TV 45.2 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[22]
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill WLFL 22.2 ASN[22]

New York
Buffalo WNYO-TV 49.2 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[49]
New York City WDVB-CD 23.2 LocusPoint Networks Independent
WRNN 48.2 WRNN License Company, LLC ASN[49]

Ohio
Cincinnati WKRC-TV 12.3[22] Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN
Columbus WTTE 28.3[22]
Dayton WKEF 22.2
Toledo WNWO 24.2[citation needed]

Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh WPNT 22.2 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN[22]
Wilkes Barre WSWB 38.4 MPS Media, LLC ASN[52]

Puerto Rico
San Juan WAPA-TV 4.2 Hemisphere Media Group
(InterMedia Partners 73%, Azteca Acquisition Corporation 27%)		 Independent
Ponce WTIN-TV
Mayagüez WNJX-TV

South Carolina
Florence/Myrtle Beach, SC WWMB 21.3 Howard Stirk Holdings
(operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)		 ASN[22]
Columbia WACH 57.2 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN

Tennessee
Jackson WNBJ-LD 39.1[53] Jackson TV, LLC NBC
Knoxville WATE-TV 6.2 [53] Media General Laff
Nashville WNAB 58.2 Tennessee Broadcasting
(Operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)		 ASN[22]

Texas
Corpus Christi KRIS-TV 6.2 Cordillera Communications The CW
Dallas–Fort Worth KTXD-TV 47.1[51] London Broadcasting Company Independent
El Paso–Las Cruces, NM KVIA-TV 7.2 News-Press & Gazette Company The CW
Tyler–Longview KLPN-LD/KTPN-LD 48.1/22.1 White Knight Broadcasting
(operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Group)		 MyNetworkTV

Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia WTVZ-TV 33.2 Sinclair Broadcast Group ASN
Lynchburg/Roanoke, Virginia WSET-TV 13.2

West Virginia
Clarksburg–Weston WDTV 5.1 Withers Broadcasting Companies CBS
Charleston/Huntington WVAH-TV 11.2 Cunningham Broadcasting
(operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group)		 ASN[22]

Wisconsin
Madison WISC-TV 3.2 Morgan Murphy Media MyNetworkTV

Regional sports networks

Network Region served Owner
4SD San Diego, California Cox Communications
Altitude Sports and Entertainment Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska,
New Mexico, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming		 Stan Kroenke
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, Central California, Southern Oregon, Nevada NBCUniversal (45%)
San Francisco Giants (30%)
21st Century Fox (25%)
Comcast SportsNet Chicago Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan NBCUniversal (20%)
J. Joseph Ricketts Family (20%)
Jerry Reinsdorf (40%)
Rocky Wirtz (20%)
Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Southern Pennsylvania, Eastern West Virginia, Southern Delaware, Hampton Roads MSA, Outer Banks NBCUniversal
Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia Philadelphia metropolitan area, Eastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware NBCUniversal
Philadelphia Phillies
Cox Sports Television Louisiana, Waco–Temple–Bryan, Texas Cox Communications
Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Delaware,
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, West Virginia		 Baltimore Orioles
Washington Nationals
New England Sports Network Hartford-New Haven, Connecticut,
Massachusetts,
Providence, Rhode Island–New Bedford, Massachusetts		 Fenway Sports Group (80%)
Root Sports Southwest[54] Houston, Texas DirecTV Sports Networks (60%)
AT&T (40%)
Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (Texas) Texas Charter Communications
American Forces Network United States Armed Forces Armed Forces Radio and Television Service

ASN subchannel network

On January 8, 2016, Sinclair announced that American Sports Network would launch as a dedicated, 24 hour-a-day digital multicast channel in Baltimore, Charleston, Cincinnati, Columbus, Greensboro, Myrtle Beach, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Raleigh-Durham on January 11, 2016.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.00 22.01 22.02 22.03 22.04 22.05 22.06 22.07 22.08 22.09 22.10 22.11 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ A10 on ASN: Weekly Atlantic 10 show debuts Saturday
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ http://www.caasports.com/sports/2014/8/26/television.aspx
  31. ↑ http://www.brownbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/2014-15/releases/20150114gtat3d
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 51.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Preceded by Syndication Rights Holder to Conference USA football and men's basketball
2014–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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