TYSONS, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2024--
TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) and the Indiana Fever today announced that 11 additional markets will join WTHR, TEGNA’s Indianapolis NBC affiliate, to create an unprecedented 12-market footprint to air 17 Indiana Fever games for free over the air in 2024. With this expanded footprint, 4.6 million homes will have the opportunity to watch #1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark, 2023 #1 overall pick and WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, and the exciting Fever roster as they make a push to return to the playoffs.
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Notably, TEGNA worked with the WNBA to add coverage of these games in Iowa, with TEGNA’s WOI in Des Moines and WQAD in Davenport (Quad Cities) joining the roster of stations that will broadcast games. Games will also air on TEGNA’s WHAS in Louisville, as well as stations owned by Gray Television, Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group, Inc., Coastal Television Broadcasting Group, and Weigel Broadcasting Co. (full list of games and stations below).
“This is a pivotal moment for our Fever team and women’s basketball, more broadly, and this groundbreaking partnership with TEGNA will ensure more fans than ever will be able to watch this historic season,” said Rick Fuson, Pacers Sports and Entertainment chief executive officer.
“We could not be more excited to make these exciting WNBA games available to more fans, in more homes, across more markets, including Caitlin Clark’s home state of Iowa,” said Brad Ramsey, senior vice president, media operations, TEGNA. “We are grateful to the Pacers organization, the WNBA, and our broadcast partners for their trust, and for helping us create a first of its kind fan experience.”
Sandy Breland, chief operating officer of Gray Television, added, “This is a key moment for women’s sports and live sports on broadcast television. Continuing Gray’s commitment to live local sports, Gray is beyond excited to bring the Fever free, over the air to local viewers in Cincinnati, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Lexington and South Bend.”
The action-packed Fever regular season schedule tips off on Thursday, May 14 when the team travels to Connecticut to take on the Connecticut Sun before returning to Indianapolis for their home opener against the New York Liberty on May 16. Highlight matchups include two encounters with the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, scheduled for May 25 and September 11.
The 17 games available to viewers are:
Thurs., May 16 vs. Liberty, 7 p.m. ET
Wed., May 22 @ Storm, 10 p.m. ET
Sat., May 25 @ Aces, 9 p.m. ET
Thurs., May 30 vs. Storm, 7 p.m. ET
*Sat., June 1 vs. Sky, 1 p.m. ET (subject to change)
Sun., June 2 @ Liberty, 7 p.m. ET
Mon., June 10 @ Sun, 7 p.m. ET
Thurs., June 13 vs. Dream, 7 p.m. ET
Sun., June 23 @ Sky, 6 p.m. ET
Thurs., June 27 @ Storm, 10 p.m. ET
Wed., July 10 vs. Mystics, 12 p.m. ET
Mon., August 26 @ Dream, 7:30 p.m. ET
Wed., September 4 vs. Sparks, 7 p.m. ET
Sun., September 8 vs. Dream, 4 p.m. ET
Wed., September 11 vs. Aces, 7 p.m. ET
Sun., September 15 vs. Wings, 3 p.m. ET
Thurs., September 19 @ Mystics, 7 p.m. ET
Stations airing the games (subject to change) include:
Indianapolis, Ind.: WTHR 13.1, 13.3 & WALV 46.1 (TEGNA)
Champaign-Springfield, Ill.: WCIX 49.1 & WCIA 3.1 (Nexstar)
Cincinnati, Ohio: WXIX 19.3 (Gray Television)
Davenport, Iowa: WQAD 8.1, 8.3 (TEGNA)
Dayton, Ohio: WKEF 22.3 (Sinclair)
Des Moines, Iowa: WOI 5.1 & KCWI 23.1 (TEGNA)
Evansville, Ind.: WFIE 14.2 (Gray Television)
Fort Wayne, Ind.: WPTA 21.3 (Gray Television)
Lafayette, Ind.: WPBY 35.1, 35.2 (Coastal Broadcast)
Lexington, Ky.: WKYT 27.2 (Gray Television)
Louisville, Ky.: WHAS 11.1, 11.2 (TEGNA)
South Bend, Ind.: WCWW 25.1 & WMYS 69.1 (Weigel); WNDU 16.2 (Gray Television)
All games will be available over the air via antenna. Fans can visit wthr.com/fever for information on how to purchase or set up an over the air antenna. A majority of the games will be available via cable and/or satellite. Check local listings for specifics.
About TEGNA
TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network and Quest. TEGNA offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA’s OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.
(Graphic: Business Wire)
