St. Louis Blues Unveil Thursday Night Blues Package Of 10 Over-The-Air Games Simulcasting On St. Louis’ First Alert ABC and 10 Other Gray Media Markets During the 2026-27 Season

Gray Media expands Blues hockey broadcasts to over 4.8 million households in multi-year deal.

What the company is saying

Gray Media, Inc. (NYSE:GTN) is announcing a multi-year partnership with the St. Louis Blues to simulcast 10 Blue Note+ games over-the-air on First Alert ABC in St. Louis and 10 other Midwest markets. The company frames this as a major expansion of access, emphasizing that the broadcasts will reach more than 4.8 million television households across a five-state region. Executives highlight the partnership's third-year extension and the doubling of over-the-air telecasts compared to last year, positioning Gray's affiliate network as a key distribution platform. The announcement also details additional programming, including a weekly Blues show and features on KMOV news, and names on-air talent for the broadcasts. Gray Media underscores its scale, noting it serves 117 full-power TV markets, reaching approximately 37% of US TV households, and owns the largest Telemundo affiliate group. The tone is confident, focusing on reach, audience engagement, and the breadth of Gray's media assets.

What the data suggests

The partnership will make 10 Thursday Night Blues games available on local broadcast TV in St. Louis and 10 other markets, with specific game dates from October 22, 2026, through March 25, 2027. The broadcasts will cover more than 4.8 million television households, significantly expanding the team's reach. Gray Media's network spans 117 full-power television markets, covering approximately 37% of US TV households, and includes 78 markets with the top-rated station and 101 with a first or second highest-rated station in all-day ratings. The company also owns 46 Telemundo affiliate markets and several production studios. While the operational scope and audience reach are clearly quantified, the announcement does not disclose any direct financial figures, such as advertising revenue, costs, or expected profit from the partnership. The evidence supports a material increase in exposure for both the Blues and Gray, but the financial impact remains unquantified.

Analysis

The announcement is largely factual, detailing a multi-year partnership between Gray Media, Inc. and the St. Louis Blues to simulcast 10 games over-the-air, with specific dates and markets listed. Most claims are realised and supported by operational data, such as the number of games, markets, and households reached. Only two minor forward-looking statements are present: plans to syndicate games to Morgan Murphy television and the upcoming broadcast of 73 games in the 2026-27 season. There is no evidence of exaggerated language or narrative inflation; the tone is positive but proportionate to the disclosed facts. No large capital outlay or long-dated, uncertain returns are mentioned, and the benefits (expanded broadcast reach) are immediate. The absence of financial metrics (revenue, profit, cash flow) limits the signal to weak_positive, as investors cannot assess the profitability or financial impact of the partnership.

Risk flags

• ●The absence of disclosed financial terms or revenue projections means investors cannot assess the profitability or incremental value of the partnership, limiting visibility into its impact on Gray Media's bottom line.
• ●Audience engagement and viewership for NHL games in these expanded markets are not guaranteed; if ratings underperform, the expected advertising or promotional benefits may not materialize.
• ●The success of the partnership depends on continued collaboration with the St. Louis Blues and the ability to maintain or grow affiliate participation; changes in team performance or affiliate relationships could affect future broadcast reach.

Bottom line

Gray Media's multi-year deal with the St. Louis Blues will immediately expand NHL game broadcasts to over 4.8 million households across 11 Midwest markets, leveraging Gray's extensive affiliate network. The operational details and market reach are clearly defined, but the company does not provide any financial data or projections tied to the partnership, leaving the economic upside uncertain. Investors get confirmation of Gray's scale—serving 117 markets and 37% of US TV households—but must wait for future disclosures to gauge advertising revenue or profitability impact. The most important takeaway is the company's ability to secure high-profile sports content and rapidly scale distribution, but the lack of financial transparency tempers the investment case. Watch for future updates on viewership metrics, advertising sales, or further sports programming deals to better assess financial returns.

Announcement summary

(NYSE:GTN) Gray Media, Inc. and the St. Louis Blues have announced a multi-year partnership to simulcast 10 select Blue Note+ telecasts over-the-air on First Alert ABC in St. Louis and in 10 other markets across the team’s five-state broadcast territory. The Thursday Night Blues package, featuring games played on Thursday night or afternoon, extends the partnership between the Blues and Gray for a third year onto Gray’s new ABC 32. This arrangement will make Blues games available for fans to watch on local over-the-air television across the Blues’ broadcast territory, covering more than 4.8 million television households. The 10 games will air live on First Alert ABC (Channel 32) in St. Louis, with affiliate markets also carrying the broadcasts. The games scheduled are: October 22 vs. Vegas (7 p.m.), November 6 at New Jersey (6 p.m.), November 19 at Pittsburgh (6 p.m.), December 17 at Boston (6 p.m.), December 31 at Vegas (2 p.m.), January 21 at Montreal (6 p.m.), January 28 vs. Colorado (7 p.m.), February 25 vs. Vancouver (7 p.m.), March 11 vs. San Jose (7 p.m.), and March 25 vs. New York Islanders (7 p.m.). In addition to the 10 over-the-air telecasts on ABC 32, the partnership includes the return of a Blues Weekly show and a weekly feature on First Alert 4 (KMOV) news programs. ABC 32 will simulcast the Blue Note+ broadcasts in the St. Louis market and into Illinois, while Gray will distribute the simulcasts to various markets throughout Missouri and into Iowa, Kansas, and Indiana, including Kansas City; Springfield, Missouri; Cape Girardeau, Missouri/Paducah, Kentucky; Quincy, Illinois; Peoria, Illinois; Topeka, Kansas; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Davenport, Iowa; Evansville, Indiana; and Ottumwa, Iowa. Gray also plans to syndicate the games to Morgan Murphy television in Joplin, Missouri. The Blue Note+ production of each game will feature play-by-play announcer Chris Kerber, game analyst Joey Vitale, studio host Andy Strickland, and analysts Bernie Federko, Jamie Rivers, and Cam Janssen. The simulcasts on ABC 32 will not include the Blues pre or postgame shows, which will air exclusively on Blue Note+. Blue Note+ is set to broadcast 73 games during the 2026-27 regular season. All 84 Blues regular season games this season will be broadcast to a radio audience on 101 ESPN Radio and throughout the Blues Radio Network. Gray Media, Inc. serves 117 full-power television markets that collectively reach approximately 37% of US television households. The company’s 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 116 measured markets by Nielsen in 2025. Gray also owns the largest Telemundo Affiliate group with 46 markets and Gray Digital Media, a full-service digital agency. Additional media properties include Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, PowerNation Studios, Assembly Atlanta, and Third Rail Studios. Sandy Breland is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gray Media.

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