WAGA Atlanta has entered a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to broadcast 85 Nashville Predators games per season on its local channels. This partnership expands the regional sports network's reach across the Southeast, utilizing Scripps' existing station infrastructure to deliver live sports content to underserved markets.
This expansion signals a strategic shift in regional sports distribution, moving away from traditional RSN models toward over-the-air broadcast partnerships that maximize reach in fragmented markets. By securing WAGA in Atlanta, Scripps Sports is testing the appetite for professional hockey in a major metropolitan area that currently lacks an NHL franchise but retains a legacy fan base. This move connects local broadcast infrastructure with premium live sports to capture viewers who have been displaced by the collapse of regional cable networks. Watch for viewership data from the Atlanta market to determine if this broadcast-heavy distribution model can successfully sustain professional sports rights without traditional carriage fees.
This strategy mirrors recent efforts by other leagues to reclaim local audiences, such as the Nexstar DAZN Pacers partnership which similarly utilizes local broadcast stations to bypass the limitations of failing cable networks. Similar TEGNA NBA broadcast deal efforts further highlight the industry-wide pivot toward free, over-the-air access for regional sports content, a trend also seen in the Gray Media to simulcast initiatives. The broader industry is also exploring 5G Broadcast as a future delivery mechanism for these local sports rights.
WAGA Atlanta has entered a multi-year agreement with Scripps Sports to broadcast 85 Nashville Predators games annually. By airing these contests on BUZZR and Fox 5.1, the partnership aims to reach underserved NHL markets and test the viability of over-the-air distribution as an alternative to traditional regional sports network models.
WAGA Atlanta will broadcast 85 games per season, consisting of 81 regular-season contests and four preseason matchups.
The games will primarily air on the subchannel BUZZR (5.3), with select matchups scheduled for the main Fox 5.1 channel.
Yes, the broadcast package includes dedicated 30-minute pregame and postgame shows for every televised matchup.
Scripps Sports is leveraging its local station portfolio to reach underserved NHL markets and move away from traditional regional sports network models toward over-the-air broadcast partnerships.
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