Phoenix Rising games to air on new Arizona's Family station
Phoenix Rising announced a three-year television agreement with Arizona’s Family Wednesday.
The agreement means every Rising game during the 2023 season will be broadcast on Arizona’s Family Sports and Entertainment. The new network, which will be channel 44 over the air and channel 116 on Cox Cable, is set to launch March 1 — 10 days before Rising’s regular season opener against Charleston Battery.
In addition to every game being carried on channel 44, five games will be on KTVK 3TV, with one on KPHO CBS 5.
“Phoenix Rising is thrilled to announce this landmark partnership with Arizona’s Family,” Rising president Bobby Dulle said in a statement. “This deal makes Phoenix Rising soccer accessible to anyone in Arizona through 2025. We’re also honored to be the first sports franchise to join Arizona’s Family newest venture. We cannot wait to kick off our 2023 season at our new home in the City of Phoenix, live on Arizona’s Family.”
From 2019 to 2021, Rising matches aired on CW61 Arizona. Last season, the majority were carried by Bally Sports, although a handful were only shown on tape delay. The new agreement with Arizona’s Family ensures every game will be broadcast live, both on TV and online.
For Rising, the remaining piece of the broadcast puzzle lies in the future of the USL’s contract with ESPN.
In recent years, every USL game has been available on ESPN+, with a handful of select games shown on ESPN or ESPN2. That partnership is expected to continue into the 2023 season, but the league has not officially made an announcement confirming that to be the case.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Rising games to air on new Arizona's Family station
