ATLANTA—Gray Television Inc. has announced an agreement to bring select American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) games to free, over-the-air local television stations in multiple Midwestern markets and across three of Gray’s local sports networks: Arizona Family Sports in Arizona, Peachtree Sports Network in Georgia, and Silver State Sports and Entertainment Network in Nevada.
The AAPB is a Major League Baseball Partner League that operates in nine states and one Canadian province. Formed in 2006, the league consists of twelve member clubs. On opening day 2023, 23 players had previous experience with MLB clubs; over 65% of American Association players already have Double-A experience or above.
As part of the deal, Gray intends to air the AAPB All Star Game over-the-air across more than a dozen markets on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
In addition to a “Game of the Week” format on Gray’s owned over- the-air sports networks, Gray’s television stations in Mankato, MN, Rockford, IL, Sioux Falls, SD, and Cedar Rapids, IA plan to carry games from AAPB teams located in or near those markets.
“Gray is committed to live sports,” said Sandy Breland, Gray’s COO. “This agreement provides another example of ways we are providing viewers what they want with live sports.”
“The partnership with Gray Media allows the American Association to now bring our product to over 8 million television households. That significantly extends our viewership from our 12 home markets to millions more in the United States. It’s a great win for our brand to showcase our elite athletes, including many players with MLB experience, in front of millions of new fans,” said Joshua Schaub, American Association of Professional Baseball Commissioner.
