Atlanta-based Gray Television is launching Peachtree Sports Network on Oct. 1, featuring minor league hockey, basketball, lacrosse and ultimate disc games, as well as high school football.
The network will debut on Sunday on broadcast TV channel WPCH-TV 17.2 in Atlanta as well as on Comcast and Spectrum cable.
“Live sports are absolutely something broadcast TV does very well,” said program director Erik Schrader, who also oversees Peachtree TV and Atlanta News First (WANF-TV), the CBS affiliate. “My parents weren’t big sports fans and wouldn’t pay to watch sports but I watched hockey games on a Saturday afternoon as a child and I am still a hockey fan. There are a lot of interesting leagues and teams in Atlanta and Georgia and we need to find a way to give them a broader audience.”
Teams will include the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. High school football games, which already air on Peachtree TV, will come from through Score Atlanta. Schrader said they will also air hockey from the Atlanta Gladiators and the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL, the Georgia Swarm of the National Lacrosse League, and ultimate disc from the Atlanta Hustle of the American Ultimate Disc League.
He said while younger people don’t watch as much linear TV, they will be more willing to watch live events like sports.
When live sports games aren’t available, Peachtree Sports Network will run repeats of the World Poker Tour and other events and the Atlanta News First sports team will do a regular sports news program.
Gray will also offer sports on channels in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Savannah in the coming months.
Atlanta-based Gray Television is one of the largest TV station owners in the country with stations in 113 television markets. Gray is also about to open Assembly, a film and TV studio on the site of a former General Motors plant in Doraville. A planned second phase with a public park has been delayed.
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