In the race to dominate sports media, most eyes are locked on ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC, and the streaming titans. But there’s a sleeper in the mix—ION Television, owned by E.W. Scripps Company, is quietly building a national sports footprint that could reshape how fans access live games, especially women’s sports.
National Reach: Bigger Than You Think
ION reaches over 128 million homes across the U.S. through a mix of 48 owned-and-operated stations and 76 affiliates, giving it one of the most robust over-the-air footprints in the countr2y. That’s more than enough to rival the Big Four networks in terms of distribution.
Key ION Stations in Major Markets:
- WXPX-TV – Tampa/St. Petersburg
- WPXN-TV – New York City
- KPXN-TV – Los Angeles
- WCPX-TV – Chicago
- KPXN-TV – San Francisco
- KPXB-TV – Houston
- WOPX-TV – Orlando
- WVPX-TV – Cleveland
- KUPX-TV – Salt Lake City
- WTPX-TV – Milwaukee
These stations are embedded in top media markets, many with deep sports traditions and underserved fan bases for women’s and Olympic sports.
Leaning Into Women’s Sports: A Strategic Pivot
ION has made bold moves in recent years, securing multi-year deals with the WNBA and NWSL to air Friday and Saturday night doubleheaders during their regular seasons. These consistent time slots have helped build appointment viewing for fans—something women’s sports have long lacked.
“We saw that it was hard to be a women’s sports fan—you can never find the games,” said Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor. “We knew we could solve a problem by putting games on every week in the same time period.”
ION now airs more WNBA and NWSL games than any other network, including ESPN and Amazon Prime. Viewership surged by 133% year-over-year, with over 23 million unique viewers tuning in during the 2024 season.
The Untapped Potential: Apple, YouTube, and Beyond
Imagine if ION partnered with Apple or YouTube to stream additional sports content—college volleyball, Olympic qualifiers, or even niche pro leagues. With its massive OTA reach and growing sports credibility, ION could become a hybrid powerhouse, blending traditional broadcast with digital scale.
- Apple could bring tech integration, analytics, and global reach.
- YouTube could offer real-time engagement, community building, and monetization.
- ION brings consistency, accessibility, and local trust.
“The WNBA and Scripps Sports partnership has proven in its first year that ION is a powerful television platform that significantly increases the audience reach of the league,” said E.W. Scripps CEO Adam Symson.
Why Sports Fans and Media Strategists Should Pay Attention
- Free Access: No cable or subscription required—ION is available over the air in nearly every U.S. household.
- Consistent Scheduling: Friday and Saturday night game blocks create reliable viewing habits.
- Women’s Sports Leadership: ION is setting the standard for how to present and promote women’s leagues.
- Scalable Infrastructure: With legacy stations and national reach, ION is built for expansion.
🔍 SEO Tags:
ION TV sports, ION Television reach, ION key markets, WNBA on ION, NWSL on ION, Scripps Sports strategy, women’s sports broadcasting, free sports TV, Apple sports partnership, YouTube sports streaming, OTA sports network, ION TV affiliates, sports media disruption, Friday night WNBA, Saturday night NWSL, sports fans free access, ION TV future, sports broadcasting innovation
