Raycom Sports

Raycom Sports is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based sports media company specializing in the production, distribution, and syndication of live sports content, primarily focused on college athletics, professional teams, and related events.^[1][2] Founded on June 19, 1979, by Rick Ray and Dee Birke Ray, it began as a regional syndicator of college basketball games and has grown into a national leader in sports video production, sponsorship activation, and media sales.^[3][4] Since its inception, Raycom Sports has been instrumental in broadcasting Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football and basketball, securing its first major rights deal in 1982 through a joint venture that produced hundreds of events annually by the late 1980s.^[3] The company pioneered innovations such as the first high-definition television (HDTV) college basketball game in 1999 and contributed to landmark agreements, including a 15-year, $3.6 billion media rights deal between the ACC and ESPN in 2012.^[3] Ownership transitioned through several phases: acquired by Ellis Communications in 1994, sold to Raycom Media in 1996, and merged with Lincoln Financial Sports in 2007 before becoming part of Gray Media Group following its 2019 acquisition of Raycom Media.^[3][4] Today, as a subsidiary of Gray Media, Raycom Sports produces and distributes content across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms, handling hundreds of live events per year for partners including the ACC, Big 12 Conference, National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.^[1][2] Its portfolio encompasses daily programming like Big 12 Today, comprehensive media day coverage, and specialized services such as event management and brand sponsorships through its Gray Sports + Entertainment unit.^[1] In November 2025, Gray Media announced a partnership with the Ohio Valley Conference to broadcast basketball games across multiple markets.^[5] In 2025, its parent company Gray Media renewed its broadcasting partnership with the NCHC to air select hockey games during the 2025-26 season, underscoring its ongoing role in collegiate sports media.^[6] The company also extends to professional and motorsports content, maintaining a legacy of innovative distribution that reaches millions of viewers nationwide.^[1][2]

History

Founding and Early Years

Raycom Sports was founded on June 19, 1979, by Rick Ray and his wife Dee Birke Ray in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a regional sports production and syndication company aimed at expanding coverage of college athletics.^[7] The company began operations with a small team, focusing initially on producing and syndicating college basketball and football games from Southern conferences, capitalizing on growing regional interest in these sports that national networks often overlooked.^[3] This emphasis on untapped markets allowed Raycom to fill a niche by distributing games to local stations across the Southeast, starting with events like the Great Alaska Shootout in 1979.^[8] A pivotal moment came in 1980 when Raycom secured its first major contract through a partnership with Jefferson-Pilot Communications to produce and syndicate Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men's basketball games, beginning with the 1980-81 season.^[9] This deal marked Raycom's entry into high-profile college sports broadcasting, with the joint venture handling production for a package of regular-season and tournament games distributed to multiple regional stations.^[3] The partnership expanded in 1982 into a formal 50/50 joint venture, securing a three-year, $18 million rights deal for ACC basketball covering the 1982-85 seasons, which solidified Raycom's role in the conference's television landscape.^[10] In its early years, Raycom introduced innovative approaches to sports syndication, including a pooled announcer talent system that assembled a roster of experienced broadcasters—such as Fred White and Billy Packer—for ACC telecasts, ensuring consistent quality across games.^[3] The company also pioneered a multi-station syndication model, where it controlled advertising inventory and paid local stations for airtime rather than relying on traditional revenue shares, enabling broader distribution beyond single markets and generating revenue through centralized ad sales.^[11] These strategies reduced production costs while expanding reach, allowing Raycom to offer polished regional broadcasts at a fraction of national network prices.^[11] Key early milestones included Raycom's production of its first ACC game telecast on December 8, 1982—Virginia at Duke—and the broadcasting of the ACC men's basketball tournament starting in 1982 at the Omni in Atlanta, where North Carolina claimed victory.^[12] These efforts, combined with subsequent tournament coverage throughout the 1980s, helped build Raycom's reputation for high-quality regional sports television, emphasizing engaging production and local appeal that resonated with Southern audiences.^[13] This foundational ACC involvement laid the groundwork for Raycom's long-term presence in college sports syndication.^[14]

Ownership Changes and Expansions

In 1994, Raycom Sports was acquired by Ellis Communications, integrating it into a broader media portfolio that included television stations and other production assets.^[8] This move provided Raycom Sports with enhanced resources to build on its early ACC syndication efforts, which had established a foundation for regional sports broadcasting.^[8] By 1996, a group led by the Retirement Systems of Alabama acquired Ellis Communications, purchasing Raycom Sports along with 15 television stations and two radio stations in a deal valued at over $700 million, and rebranded the entity as Raycom Media. Under Raycom Media, the company expanded significantly, growing its television station holdings to over 140 across 66 markets by the late 2010s, which bolstered Raycom Sports' production infrastructure.^[15] This period saw key acquisitions, including Lincoln Financial Sports in 2007 and Tupelo-Honey Productions in 2011, enhancing capabilities in sports event production and digital content.^[8] Raycom Sports also increased its operational scale with the relocation to a dedicated sports production complex on Morehead Street in Charlotte in 2008, the addition of in-house studios and edit suites in 2011, and the deployment of advanced HD production trucks in 2011 and 2013.^[8] These developments supported expanded programming, such as ongoing NFL preseason game productions for the Carolina Panthers (beginning in 1995) and the addition of similar coverage for the Atlanta Falcons starting in 2017, alongside growth in sponsorship sales units that secured major title deals like the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2005.^[8][16][17] In 2019, Gray Television acquired Raycom Media for $3.65 billion, positioning Raycom Sports as a central component of Gray's sports production arm and enabling further national scaling through integrated media assets.^[18] The transaction, completed on January 2, transformed Gray from a regional broadcaster into a major player with nationwide reach, leveraging Raycom Sports' expertise in live event production and sponsorship integration.^[18]

Shift from ACC Syndication

Raycom Sports' longstanding partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which originated from a 1982 joint venture between Raycom and Jefferson-Pilot Sports to acquire broadcast rights for ACC men's basketball and later expanded to football, extended through the 2010 season.^[10][19] In July 2010, the ACC entered into a 12-year multimedia rights agreement with ESPN valued at approximately $1.86 billion, granting ESPN exclusive rights to all conference-controlled football and men's basketball games starting in the 2011-12 season, though ESPN sublicensed a package of games to Raycom for continued syndicated broadcasts.^[20][21] This deal marked the beginning of partial losses for Raycom, particularly in high-profile football and major men's basketball events, which shifted primarily to ESPN platforms while Raycom retained regional syndication for select non-exclusive games.^[22][23] By the late 2010s, the evolving media landscape and the impending launch of the ESPN-operated ACC Network accelerated the decline of Raycom's direct syndication role. In 2019, after 37 years of producing and distributing ACC content, Raycom relinquished its remaining syndication rights—originally set to run through 2027—as part of the ACC Network agreement, ending its ownership of broadcast rights but securing a long-term subcontract for production services.^[13][24] This transition significantly reduced Raycom's portfolio of exclusive ACC programming, prompting operational adjustments including temporary expansions into content from other conferences and sports properties to maintain production capacity.^[17] The emotional culmination of this era occurred during the 2019 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Raycom aired its final standalone syndicated broadcast on March 16, featuring the championship game between Virginia and Duke, marking a poignant farewell after decades of coverage that had become synonymous with ACC basketball.^[9][25] In response, Raycom pivoted toward a production-for-hire model, leveraging its expertise to support ESPN's ACC Network while exploring new syndication opportunities, including later agreements to produce ACC games for The CW Network under a sublicense from ESPN.^[13][26] This strategic shift, bolstered by Gray Media's acquisition of Raycom Media in 2019, allowed the company to sustain its ACC ties in a diminished but specialized capacity.^[27]

Recent Developments

In response to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Raycom Sports shifted toward producing and distributing taped and archived sports content, culminating in the launch of the Origin Sports Network in July 2021 as a 24/7 free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel featuring historic games, athlete stories, and classic moments.^[28][29] In July 2023, Raycom Sports extended its longstanding relationship with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) through a production agreement with The CW Network, committing to produce 13 football games and 37 basketball games annually through the 2026-27 season, marking a transition from traditional syndication to network broadcasts while maintaining Raycom's legacy role in ACC coverage.^[30][26] Raycom Sports partnered with the Big 12 Conference in September 2024 to launch Big 12 Studios, the league's first 24/7 FAST channel dedicated to conference storytelling, including game highlights, historic replays, in-game footage, and original programming like the weekly show Inside the 12.^[31][32] Additionally, Raycom produced pre- and post-game content for 15 Atlanta Braves regular-season simulcast games on Gray Media stations, complementing the team's primary rightsholder broadcasts.^[33] In October 2025, Gray Media, through Raycom Sports, renewed its partnership with the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) to broadcast at least 13 men's ice hockey games during the 2025-26 season on Gray Television stations.^[6] Amid the ongoing decline in linear television viewership, Raycom Sports has emphasized digital distribution strategies, expanding Origin Sports Network availability on platforms like Roku and Xumo, while enhancing its event management and sponsorship services to adapt to streaming and FAST ecosystems.^[34][35][36]

Programming

College Sports Productions

Raycom Sports has been a primary producer of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) college athletics content since the 1980s, focusing on football and men's and women's basketball telecasts. The company began syndicating ACC basketball games in 1982 through a partnership with Jefferson-Pilot Sports, establishing a foundational role in regional sports broadcasting that helped elevate the conference's national visibility. This included producing and distributing dozens of regular-season games annually, as well as coverage of the ACC Tournament until the end of the syndicated package in 2019. Football productions followed suit, with Raycom securing rights in the early 2000s to broadcast select ACC games, contributing to the conference's growing media presence during that decade.^[37][38] In the 2000s, Raycom's ACC output peaked, with the company handling over 100 basketball and football games per year amid expanding conference membership and syndication deals, before rights realignments shifted more content to ESPN networks. Following the end of traditional syndication, Raycom transitioned to producing ACC games for The CW Network, including a 2025-26 basketball schedule featuring 28 men's and 12 women's games. These productions encompass live telecasts of regular-season matchups, such as non-conference openers and conference rivalries, with tournament coverage integrated into broader ACC media partnerships. Raycom also previously produced the ACC Baseball Championship, broadcasting the annual postseason event on regional sports networks until ESPN acquired those rights in 2023.^[3][39][40] Beyond the ACC, Raycom has historical ties to other major conferences, notably syndicating Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball games from 1986 until 2008, when ESPN assumed syndication rights. The company's Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters serves as a central production hub, equipped with studios for live graphics, replay operations, and multi-camera telecasts of college events. Annually, Raycom produces hundreds of live college sports events, emphasizing high-quality video production for broadcast partners while maintaining a focus on NCAA-level athletics. Raycom Sports also produces live programming for the Big 12 Conference, including the daily Big 12 Today show and coverage of events such as media days. Additionally, it handles production for select National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) men's ice hockey games, with at least 13 games broadcast on Gray Media stations during the 2025-26 season.^{[41][42][1][31][6]}

Professional and Other Sports Content

Raycom Sports has maintained a long-standing role in producing NFL preseason games for the Carolina Panthers since the team's inception in 1995 and for the Atlanta Falcons since 2017, involving regional distribution through local broadcast affiliates. In collaboration with Tupelo Raycom, the company handled production for four preseason games each for these teams as part of a slate of 15 total NFL exhibitions in 2017, showcasing their expertise in high-profile football content. This production work emphasizes comprehensive coverage, including play-by-play announcements and sideline reporting, distributed to markets across the Southeast.^[16] In women's professional basketball, Raycom Sports expanded its portfolio through Gray Media's renewed partnership with the Atlanta Dream for the 2025 WNBA season, enabling full-season broadcasts of all non-nationally exclusive games on Peachtree TV and associated digital platforms. This agreement, building on a successful 2024 collaboration that saw a tenfold increase in viewership, positions Raycom as the production arm responsible for game telecasts reaching approximately 36% of U.S. households via over-the-air signals. The broadcasts feature enhanced regional access, with pre- and post-game analysis to engage local fanbases.^[43][44] Raycom Sports also produces all non-nationally exclusive regular-season games for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans, starting with the 2024-25 season and continuing into 2025-26, broadcast on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network (GCSEN) with pregame, halftime, and postgame shows.^[45][46] Raycom Sports entered the professional women's hockey landscape by serving as the primary production partner for the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) starting with its inaugural 2023-24 season. Handling U.S.-based game productions in coordination with Dome Productions for Canadian events, Raycom contributed to a season marked by innovative storytelling and bi-coastal coverage, including playoffs that highlighted emerging talents. This role extended into the 2024-25 season, with Raycom producing onsite games such as those in Minnesota, focusing on high-quality graphics and narrative-driven presentations to build the league's visibility.^[47][48][49] For Major League Baseball, Raycom Sports produced original ancillary programming in 2025 to complement 15 simulcast Atlanta Braves regular-season games broadcast via Gray Media affiliates. This included dedicated pre- and post-game shows featuring analysis, interviews, and highlights, airing alongside the primary telecasts on FanDuel Sports Network to enhance viewer engagement in Southeast markets. The content aimed to provide deeper insights into team strategies and player performances, marking Raycom's strategic entry into MLB supplementary productions.^[33][50] As part of its 2021 business diversification efforts, Raycom Sports ventured into motorsports entertainment by producing content for Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live events, including the unscripted series "Crushing It!" which captured live thrills and vehicle stunts for broadcast and streaming. Additionally, Raycom handled local production and syndication of MLS highlights and games for the expansion Charlotte FC, distributing Carolinas-regional telecasts to broaden its soccer coverage. These initiatives underscored Raycom's adaptability to non-traditional sports formats beyond core football and basketball.^[51][52][53]

Digital and Streaming Initiatives

Raycom Sports entered the digital streaming space in July 2021 with the launch of Origin Sports Network, a 24/7 ad-supported linear channel dedicated to archived college and professional sports highlights, featuring iconic moments and athlete stories from Hall of Famers, All-Americans, and national champions.^[54] The network draws from Raycom's extensive video library, spanning over 40 years of productions, to deliver evergreen content such as buzzer-beaters, game-winning plays, and player profiles without relying on live events.^[28] Initial distribution included The Roku Channel in Canada and Xumo in the United States, with expansions later that year to The Roku Channel in the US and Samsung TV Plus, broadening access across free ad-supported platforms.^[55] Building on this foundation, Raycom Sports partnered with the Big 12 Conference in September 2024 to introduce Big 12 Studios, the league's inaugural 24/7 FAST channel focused on non-live assets like storytelling segments, athlete interviews, game highlights, historic replays, and expert analysis.^[31] The channel emphasizes narrative-driven programming, including the weekly show Inside the 12, which previews football matchups and spotlights student-athletes, aiming to deepen fan engagement beyond traditional broadcasts.^[31] Content is distributed via major FAST aggregators, YouTube for on-demand viewing, and select Gray Media local stations, such as Arizona's Family Sports Network.^[31] Raycom's distribution strategy leverages its integration with Gray Media's portfolio of over 180 stations for hybrid delivery, combining over-the-air linear feeds with digital and FAST channels to maximize reach for ACC and Big 12 content.^[2] This approach facilitates seamless transitions between broadcast and streaming, while Gray Sports + Entertainment handles sponsorship activations, embedding brand integrations into digital programming for enhanced monetization.^[2] By prioritizing ad-supported models, these initiatives help offset declines in linear TV audiences, utilizing Raycom's archival assets to sustain viewer interest through timeless, on-demand sports narratives.^[1] In 2025, Raycom advanced its OTT presence by producing ACC football games for The CW Network, with streams available via the free CW app on mobile devices and connected TVs, enabling broader access to conference content.^[56] These efforts extend to Pac-12 games broadcast on The CW, where similar app-based streaming supports digital consumption alongside linear airings.^[57] Raycom's live productions for these events also contribute clips and highlights to FAST and VOD platforms, reinforcing a unified digital ecosystem.^[56]

Personalities

Play-by-Play Announcers

Raycom Sports has long been associated with a roster of prominent play-by-play announcers, particularly through its production of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football and basketball broadcasts. Historical figures include Tim Brant, who served as the lead play-by-play voice for ACC basketball from the early 2000s until his retirement in 2016 after covering the New York Life ACC Tournament.^[58] Mike Patrick contributed to early ACC telecasts in the 1980s through the Jefferson-Pilot Sports/Raycom joint venture, handling play-by-play duties alongside color commentators like Haven Moses.^[37] Other notables from the era include Steve Martin, who called ACC games from 1991 to 2019,^[59] and Bob Rathbun, who has provided play-by-play for ACC basketball since 1988 while also covering college football in the ACC, SEC, and Big East conferences.^[60] In more recent years, Tim Brando emerged as a key voice, serving as the lead play-by-play announcer for Raycom's ACC basketball coverage from 1990 until the end of the syndication package in 2019, often delivering signature calls for high-profile matchups like Duke-Carolina.^[25] Following the shift of ACC rights, Raycom continued producing select college sports content, including ACC football and basketball games for The CW Network starting in 2023 under a multi-year deal through 2027.^[30] For the 2025 season, Thom Brennaman leads the play-by-play for ACC football on The CW, with Raycom handling production, while Rathbun maintains occasional roles in Raycom's NFL preseason and college broadcasts alongside his primary duties as the Atlanta Hawks' television voice.^[61] Many announcers honed their skills at Raycom, which served as a launching pad for national careers; for instance, Brando credits the ACC coverage through Raycom with defining much of his professional trajectory since the 1980s.^[25] Similarly, Patrick transitioned from Raycom's regional ACC games to a prominent role at ESPN, calling NFL and college contests for decades.^[12] This impact underscores Raycom's role in developing broadcast talent through consistent exposure to competitive college sports. Raycom employs a pooled talent system for its regional game productions, drawing from a deep roster of announcers to ensure uniformity and quality across syndicated telecasts, as seen in its longstanding ACC operations where commentators like Brando and Brant rotated for dozens of games annually.^[37] This approach allows for flexible pairings with analysts to form complete broadcast crews while maintaining a signature style for the network's events.

Analysts and Color Commentators

Raycom Sports employs a roster of analysts and color commentators who deliver expert commentary on college sports broadcasts, particularly within the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). These professionals, often former athletes with ties to the regions and conferences covered, focus on providing in-depth in-game analysis, halftime breakdowns, and post-game recaps to enhance viewer understanding of strategies and player performances.^[3] In basketball coverage, Debbie Antonelli serves as the lead analyst for women's college games, drawing on her extensive experience calling NCAA tournaments and ACC matchups.^[62] Mike Gminski, a former Duke University standout and NBA player, provides color commentary for ACC men's basketball, offering insights from his All-ACC background.^[63] Cory Alexander, a University of Virginia alumnus and ex-NBA guard, contributes as a color commentator for hoops broadcasts, leveraging his playing experience in the conference.^[64] For football, Dave Archer, a former NFL quarterback who played for the Atlanta Falcons, acts as a color analyst, including for Falcons preseason games and ACC contests.^[65] These experts collaborate closely with play-by-play announcers to create balanced, informative telecasts. Historically, Billy Packer served as the ACC tournament analyst for Raycom Sports until 2008, bringing his Wake Forest pedigree and national prominence to the network's basketball coverage.^[66] In recent digital initiatives, Raycom's Origin Sports Network features content with Hall of Famers and emerging talents, incorporating their analytical perspectives in highlight reels and special segments.^[67]

Awards and Recognition

Regional Emmy Awards

Raycom Sports has earned significant recognition from the Nashville/Midsouth Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) through the Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards, honoring excellence in sports programming, production, and promotion within the region encompassing Tennessee, northern Alabama, and North Carolina. Between 2009 and 2020, the company's production department secured 34 wins across these awards, alongside a total of 73 nominations during that period.^[68][69] Key categories of acclaim include Outstanding Sports Event/Game, with Raycom winning this honor four times in five years leading up to 2017, notably for its coverage of the 2016 ACC Tournament Championship, which highlighted innovative live broadcasting techniques. The company also excelled in Sports Program Feature, achieving six wins in this category, often for in-depth storytelling on athlete journeys and team resurgences, such as the 2017 award for "The Journey: Rory Coleman." Technical achievements in editing and graphics were frequently recognized, contributing to the overall tally and underscoring Raycom's prowess in post-production for sports content.^[70] Notable years include 2015, when Raycom took home four Emmys out of nine nominations, with multiple awards tied to basketball production, including features and overall program segments. In 2019, the company received final Midsouth Emmys related to its longstanding ACC syndication package, capping a decade of consistent honors before the rights shifted. These awards are judged by NATAS peer professionals based on criteria such as creativity, technical execution, and compelling narrative in live sports coverage, affirming Raycom's regional leadership in sports media production.^[71]

Other Honors

Raycom Sports has received nominations for the National Sports Emmy Awards in categories such as Outstanding Live Sports Special, particularly for its production of ACC events during the 2010s, though no major wins have been highlighted since 2000.^[72] In recognition of its long-standing partnership, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) paid tribute to Raycom Sports in 2019 for 37 years of service in producing and syndicating conference basketball and football content, marking the end of its exclusive syndication role with the launch of the ACC Network.^[13] The company's contributions were celebrated during the final ACC Tournament telecast in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighting its role in elevating the conference's national visibility.^[37] Raycom Sports marked a significant industry milestone in 2024 through its partnership with the Big 12 Conference to launch Big 12 Studios, the league's first 24/7 FAST channel, underscoring its ongoing innovation in college sports distribution.^[31] Founders Rick and Dee Ray were inducted into the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016 for their pioneering efforts in sports broadcasting, including establishing Raycom Sports as a leader in college athletics syndication.^[73] Raycom Sports earned the 2019 SVG/NACDA Technology Leadership Award from the Sports Video Group for its advancements in sports production and distribution, reflecting its commitment to technical innovation in college sports media.^[74] The company's legacy is widely cited in media histories for pioneering the syndication model for college sports, beginning with its 1979 founding and producing over 10,000 events, which transformed regional games into national broadcasts and influenced modern conference media rights structures.^[3][37]