Scripps Sports has clinched a deal with Professional Bull Riders (PBR) to bring coverage of Premier Women’s Rodeo (PWR) exclusively to its U.S. networks ION and Grit, beginning next month.
ION reaches more than 126 million U.S. households through over-the-air broadcasting, traditional pay-TV services, CTV platforms and FAST. Grit is a Western and action entertainment network.
The alliance kicks off with the broadcast of the 2026 PWR Championship this May, followed by the original series PWR: Road to the Championship for Grit, airing in the run-up to the 2027 PWR Championship on both ION and Grit. In 2027, ION and Grit will broadcast a minimum of 18 hours of women’s rodeo programming over 16 broadcasts.
“Premier Women’s Rodeo embodies the dynamic, high-energy competition that today’s audiences are actively seeking, and we’re honored to serve as the national platform for this exceptional sport,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “This partnership reinforces our strategic commitment to elevating women’s sports, authentic storytelling and competitive excellence, and we’re excited to introduce this growing sport to viewers nationwide.”
“Premier Women’s Rodeo further strengthens our leading portfolio of women’s sports and fits in perfectly with the evolution of Grit into a more contemporary Western network,” said Keisha Taylor Starr, GM of Scripps Networks and Scripps’ CMO. “Grit is where the spirit of adventure and Western values come alive, and the amazing athletes of PWR are modern trailblazers whose stories, in and out of the arena, will engage a new generation of fans.”
“PWR represents the next chapter in the evolution of Western sports, and this partnership with Scripps Sports gives us an unprecedented national platform to showcase it at scale,” said PBR CEO and Commissioner Sean Gleason. “With ION and Grit, we’re expanding the reach of PWR to millions of households while elevating the visibility of some of the most talented and compelling athletes in sports today. This partnership will bring powerful storytelling to the forefront and accelerate the growth of women’s rodeo in a meaningful way.”
