As the digital world has evolved over the years and impacted the way people access news, entertainment, and sports, while widely accepted, there could still be an argument made that in the case of sports, viewers should be able to access their local teams without having to utilize a streaming service. On Tuesday, during The Steakhouse, Gray Television executive chairman and CEO Hilton Howell shared his thoughts on why he believes sports belong on “live free tv.”
Howell made his comments as he responded to Shapiro asking him to share his thoughts on the impact the digital space has had on the world of sports.
“I’m a sports fan and I think sports franchises need to be accessible to every single human being,” Howell told Shapiro and Golden as to why he supports sports being on live free TV. As their conversation continued, Howell explained that an experience he had while dealing with one of his properties located in Arizona played a role in his stance.
Howell detailed how the owner of the Phoenix Suns, Mathew Ishbia, had expressed some concerns over how much of the local market the team was reaching via television coverage. Howell shared that because of the coverage area his properties provided, he and Ishbia were able to come up with agreement that was beneficial for both parties. However the impact that the partnership had for individuals living in the areas Howell’s properties covered, had a lasting impact on him.
“Debbie Bush, who’s our station manager there in Phoenix, started getting all these letters from Native Americans, who had never been able to watch their basketball team until it came back to over the air,” Howell told Shapiro and Golden.