Gray Media and Scripps revive ad hoc sports networks for local distribution

The revival of occasional networks provides a viable distribution path for secondary sports tiers that can no longer rely on the fractured regional sports network (RSN) model. By assembling market-by-market clearances, rights holders achieve broad linear reach and local advertising inventory without the fixed costs of 24/7 cable operations. This shift signals a move away from permanent channel aggregation toward a flexible, rights-first infrastructure that utilizes IP delivery to bridge broadcast and FAST platforms. Watch for whether major station groups like Nexstar and Sinclair begin formalizing cross-ownership syndication agreements to scale these temporary networks nationally.

Gray Media has been among the most aggressive station groups in assembling ad hoc sports distribution deals. The company's partnership with FanDuel Sports Network to carry St. Louis Blues games across multiple markets represents a template that other broadcasters are now replicating. TEGNA announced in early 2026 that it had secured multi-market agreements to distribute professional and collegiate sports content across its station portfolio, extending the model beyond single-team arrangements into broader syndication frameworks. Scripps has similarly expanded its sports footprint, using its Ion network and local stations to carry games that previously relied on regional sports network carriage.

The economics driving this shift are rooted in the collapse of the traditional RSN model. After Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and restructured its operations, the resulting void left roughly 15 NBA, NHL, and MLB teams without stable linear distribution heading into the 2024-25 seasons. That gap created an opening for station groups to negotiate direct rights deals at lower per-subscriber costs than the legacy RSN model demanded. Prime Video has also entered this space, acquiring select local NHL broadcast rights in 2025 as part of Amazon's broader strategy to bundle live sports into its Prime membership, signaling that streaming platforms see value in the same local inventory that broadcasters are now syndicating.

On the technical side, the ad hoc model relies on IP-based distribution to bridge linear broadcast and streaming delivery simultaneously. Gray Media has deployed its Gray Streaming platform to simulcast games across its station signals and connected-TV apps, reaching households that have cut traditional pay-TV bundles. Scripps disclosed in mid-2026 that its Ion streaming service now reaches more than 60 million households, providing a FAST-platform complement to its over-the-air sports clearances. This dual-path approach allows rights holders to count both broadcast and streaming impressions toward audience guarantees, a critical factor for advertisers who previously depended on RSN ratings. The model's scalability will depend on whether station groups can standardize rights clearance workflows across markets without the centralized infrastructure that RSNs once provided.