Ohio Valley Conference and Gray Media Again Partner to Bring Collegiate Sporting Events to Free Over-the-Air Television Viewers

ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ohio Valley Conference has renewed its partnership with Gray Media to broadcast OVC athletic events across twenty Gray markets in eight states after a successful set of broadcasts a year ago.

As part of the Conference’s multi-year contract with ESPN, the entire package will also be simulcast live nationally on ESPN+ and available through the ESPN app without digital blackouts.

The 2026-27 package again features select men’s and women’s basketball matchups, plus expanded coverage with three men’s soccer, three women’s soccer and four volleyball contests this fall.   A list of basketball contests to broadcast on Gray stations will be announced at a later date, in addition to plans for spring sports coverage.

Gray’s Tennessee Valley Sports & Entertainment Network and Mid-South Sports & Entertainment Network each looks forward to bringing two Tennessee institutions – Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Martin – to viewers across the state. The Tennessee Valley Sports & Entertainment Network broadcasts over-the-air in Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, while the Mid-South Sports & Entertainment Network broadcasts in Memphis and Jackson.   The OVC is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee (just south of Nashville).

In addition, Gray’s Matrix Midwest in St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, will serve hometown viewers of OVC’s Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lindenwood University, while Gray’s Illinois stations in Champaign, Peoria, Quincy, and Rockford are excited to serve fans of OVC’s Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University. Gray’s Indiana stations in Evansville, Ft. Wayne, South Bend, Lafayette and Terre Haute will focus on the University of Southern Indiana, and Gray will also bring the package to fans of Morehead State University in Lexington, Kentucky.

The tentative schedule of available games is below. Not all markets will carry all games. Check local listings for times and channels.

• Friday, Sept. 25: Southern Indiana at Eastern Illinois, 6:00 p.m. CT (Volleyball)
• Sunday, Sept. 27: UT Martin at Southern Indiana, 1:00 p.m. CT (Women's Soccer)
• Sunday, Oct. 4: Southern Indiana at Western Illinois, 1:00 p.m. CT (Men's Soccer)
• Sunday, Oct. 11: Morehead State at Southeast Missouri, 1:00 p.m. CT (Women's
Soccer)
• Sunday, Oct. 18: Lindenwood at Southern Indiana, 3:00 p.m. CT (Men's Soccer)
• Friday, Oct 23: Southeast Missouri at UT Martin, 6:00 p.m. CT (Volleyball)
• Sunday, Oct. 25: SIUE at Lindenwood, 1:00 p.m. CT (Women's Soccer)
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Eastern Illinois at SIUE, 1:00 p.m. CT (Men's Soccer)
• Friday, Nov. 6: Southern Indiana at Tennessee State, 6:00 p.m. CT (Volleyball)
• Friday, Nov. 13: Western Illinois at Morehead State, 5:00 p.m. ET (Volleyball)

The Ohio Valley Conference was founded in 1948, making it the eighth-oldest Division I athletic conference. Over the years OVC teams have garnered national championships in football along with national team or individual titles in the sports of rifle, cross country, track and golf.  In the 1950s the OVC became a pioneer when Morehead State became one of the first non-traditionally Black mid-southern institutions to accept an African American student. Soon after the passing of Title IX legislation, the OVC began formulating plans for women's athletics, which began in 1977. The OVC has long been a national leader in sportsmanship and in 1995 implemented a first-of-its-kind Sportsmanship Statement, a policy that promotes principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent.
 
The Ohio Valley Conference sponsors 19 championship sports. The league consists of nine member institutions in five states, including Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, Morehead State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Southern Indiana, Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Western Illinois University.

About Gray Media:

Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE: GTN) is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. We are the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. We serve 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The portfolio includes 78 markets with the top-rated television station and 101 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station in average all-day ratings across the 116 of such markets that were measured by Nielsen in 2025. We also own the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 46 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency offering national and local clients digital marketing strategies with the most advanced digital products and services. Our additional media properties include video production companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, and studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios.

Gray Contact:

Sandy Breland, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333

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