Las Vegas Aces strike broadcast deal with Scripps Sports’ Vegas 34

The latest team to sign a notable over-the-air deal for local broadcasts comes from the WNBA. That would be the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, which announced a deal with Scripps Sports and their Vegas 34 station Thursday:

Proud to finally announce our new broadcast partnership with the @LVAces! Game tickets may be sold out but everyone in Las Vegas can now watch over the air on @KTNV Vegas 34. 📺🏀 @ScrippsSports pic.twitter.com/yM2VQGMfLy

— Quinn S. Pacini (@qpacini) March 13, 2025

𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭! 🎰

Thank you for welcoming us to the fam, @ScrippsSports and Vegas 34! pic.twitter.com/ZhGet5FU7q

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) March 13, 2025

Here’s more on this from a Scripps release:

In addition to game broadcasts, the Aces and Vegas 34 are also partnering to produce and air “In the Paint,” an award-winning weekly, 30-minute show featuring highlights, interviews and behind-the-scenes access to the 2025 Las Vegas Aces.

“We are beyond excited to partner with Vegas 34,” said Nikki Fargas, Las Vegas Aces president. “Looking at the upward trajectory the Aces are on, winning two WNBA championships over the past three years and playing in front of sold-out crowds night after night, this partnership with Vegas 34 will allow even more fans the opportunity to watch this incredible team as we to strive for our third championship.”

“The Las Vegas Aces are one of the best teams in the WNBA, and their passionate fan base deserves to be able to see the Aces on the largest available broadcast platform. Scripps Sports couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the exciting action of Las Vegas Aces basketball to Vegas 34 as this team pursues its third WNBA championship,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports.

…“Vegas 34 is proud to be the home of champions – as the place to turn in Las Vegas to watch the Vegas Golden Knights and now, the Aces,” said John Cook, vice president and general manager of Vegas 34 and KTNV-TV.

Vegas 34, KMCC, is a currently-unaffiliated local station that’s one of two Vegas-area stations Scripps owns (along with ABC affiliate KTNV). It was also one of the first local Scripps stations to strike a deal for regional sports games, doing so with a 2023 deal (which is now in its second season) to broadcast the Vegas Golden Knights’ regional NHL games.

While many deals along these lines have seen teams moving from regional sports networks to over-the-air broadcast networks, that’s not the case with this one. The Aces previously had their games with Gray Television’s Fox 5 KVVU (five games last year) and its associated alternate feed of the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network (the remaining 16 games they showed). But there is something to be said for a deal that has all games on one network.

This fits into a larger story of Scripps Sports’ growth. That 2022-launched division has a variety of other local deals, including with the Florida Panthers and the now-Utah Hockey Club. They have national deals with their ION broadcast network for WNBA and NWSL games as well. And they’ve expressed plenty of interest in picking up other regional rights in particular as teams move away from regional sports networks. The Aces are the latest to do so, and the latest to join Scripps.