After leaving FanDuel and working with MLB.TV the Tampa Bay Rays control one of the largest territorial footprints in Major League Baseball. Their potential reach ranks just behind Chicago in total households. The team covers most of North Florida, Central Florida, and Southwest Florida. Cities including Jacksonville, Orlando, Ocala, Tallahassee, Sarasota, and Fort Myers fall inside the Rays broadcast zone. Fans in these areas cannot stream Rays games on MLB TV. They rely on local stations or over the air partners for live coverage. This setup gives the Rays a rare statewide presence that few clubs can match.
The Rays understand the value of this territory. The team uses it when planning media deals and building distribution plans. In their new deal with MLB.TV the role of over the air broadcast partner becomes very important to make sure Rays fans are served throughout the Sunshine State.
There is no formal limit on how many over‑the‑air (OTA) local TV stations a team can use under the MLB.TV model. Teams can air games on as many broadcast stations as they can contract, and MLB has not set a cap on the number of OTA homes they can reach.
Rays could realistically use between 12 and 18 over the air stations to build a true statewide Florida network, depending on how aggressively the new ownership wants to expand. This mirrors the approach taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers after they moved on from FanDuel and shifted to broad regional broadcast partnerships.
Only South Florida sits outside the Rays footprint. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach belong to the Miami Marlins. Every other major Florida market belongs to the Rays.
Nexstar and Scripps emerge as strong contenders
The Rays continue their search for a new local television partner, and two groups — Scripps and Nexstar — stand out as the strongest contenders. Both have deep reputations in local broadcasting and reach viewers across Orlando, Jacksonville, and the Gulf Coast. Scripps brings a proven sports strategy through its national sports division, already managing NHL and WNBA rights in several markets. The company also owns stations that serve Tampa Bay and Central Florida, making it well positioned for a statewide Rays plan.
Scripps owns WFTS‑TV (Channel 28) and WXPX‑TV (Channel 66), now branded as The Spot, and already maintains a successful partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nexstar owns WFLA (Channel 8) and WTTA (Channel 38), while Tegna controls WTSP (Channel 10) and could potentially align with WMOR (Channel 32) as a complementary partner. Another possible player is WTOG (Channel 44), owned by CBS, which has the scheduling flexibility to carry a full slate of games.
The broader goal would be to assemble a robust news and production operation capable of delivering consistent local team coverage. One station could handle a smaller package — perhaps ten games — while a partner with fewer network obligations could carry the bulk of the schedule
The Rays Southern Options
Gray Television could also play a key role in the Rays strategy. The group owns stations across Florida and supports local sports. WWSB in Sarasota offers a strong option for the Rays. The station operates with more freedom than major network outlets. It serves the Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice region with a local focus. That approach fits the Rays plan for deeper community reach.
Rays Complete The Gulf Coast
WINK’s CBS platform delivers reach and credibility for marquee games and shoulder programming, while WXCW’s lighter CW obligations open wide windows for weeknight and weekend broadcasts. Together, they can produce consistent Rays coverage, handle pregame and postgame shows, and anchor the team’s presence in a region that includes spring‑training territory and a rapidly growing Gulf Coast fan base. As a combined operation, WINK and WXCW would form a strong, efficient, and strategically aligned broadcast partner for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ocala, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tallahassee
Orlando (WRBW), Gainesville (WGFL), and Tallahassee (WFXU) all carry Tampa Bay Lightning games and have the capacity to serve as Rays affiliates as well. In Jacksonville home to new Rays owners Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, and Ken Babby the strongest candidate is longtime powerhouse WJXT (Channel 4). As an independent station with extensive reach across Northeast Florida and deep into South Georgia, WJXT stands as one of the most influential and widely distributed stations in the entire Southeast
A Bold New Rays Network
The Rays new ownership and MLB TV have a rare chance to build a powerful statewide network. Their reach could extend across Florida and into the Atlantic beach cities of South Georgia. This moment allows them to create a broadcast system that is fully their own for the first time. It positions the franchise to connect with more fans than ever before.
