Rock Entertainment Group (REG), the umbrella entity that houses Rocket Mortgage founder Dan Gilbert’s sports and entertainment properties under the ROCK Family of Companies, has signed an agreement with Gray Television‘s Gray Media unit that will allow it to create a new entertainment sports network with select Cleveland teams its focal point.
The “Rock Entertainment Sports Network” is anticipated to debut in August, with future over-the-air, MVPD and streaming components forthcoming.
Participants in the ESN are Gray-owned WOIO-19 and WUAB-43 in Cleveland and WXIX-19 in Cincinnati.
Rock Entertainment Sports Network will serve as the home for the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters, the NBA G League Cleveland Charge, St. Edward High School Varsity Sports, and programming from the Frontier League Lake Erie Crushers.
Nic Barlage, Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse CEO, commented, “Our fans are the lifeblood of Rock Entertainment Group. We are constantly looking for ways to evolve the opportunities our fans have to engage with all sports across our region and state. From our dynamic college and professional teams to our semiprofessional and high school sports, passion, pride and our commitment to delivering world class experiences via these sports is deeply ingrained in our culture. The establishment of Rock Entertainment Sports Network will offer fans in Ohio unparalleled access to all levels of competitive sports and provide our diverse array of sports teams an unprecedented platform to connect with fans of all interests.”
Matt Moran, Senior Managing Vice President for Gray Media and an Ohio resident, added, “This joint venture is a game changer for Ohio sports fans and will usher in a new era of free televised live sports in Ohio.”.
