The Cowboy Channel is stepping into the Teton Ridge family, making Teton Ridge the largest rights holder in the Western sports sector through an exclusive deal with the PRCA.
Led by the late Patrick Gottsch’s trailblazing media company Rural Media Group, The Cowboy Channel burst out of the bucking chute in 2017, broadcasting live rodeo and Western sports coverage to tens of millions of people. The Cowboy Channel, along with its sister network The Cowgirl Channel, now collectively reach over 100 million people across their many platforms, broadcasting around 600 live rodeo events annually. Now, Teton Ridge is taking up the torch.
The Western entertainment and media company announced its acquisition of The Cowboy Channel, The Cowgirl Channel, and The Cowboy Channel+ from Rural Media Group, promising to preserve the legacy of the broadcasting company while expanding its reach to an even larger audience with a mix of traditional and digital media.
“Our father built The Cowboy Channel to celebrate and elevate Western sports, and Teton Ridge’s commitment to preserving the authenticity of the Western lifestyle aligns with that vision,” said Raquel Gottsch Koehler, co-owner of Rural Media Group and daughter of the late founder and media visionary Patrick Gottsch. “We pass the torch to a team that shares our deep passion for rodeo and Western sports.”
Rural Media Group, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this December, will continue the tradition it began by operating its flagship networks RFD-TV, RFD-TV NOW, and Rural Radio on Sirius XM 147, along with the FarmHer and RanchHer programs.
As part of the pioneering acquisition, Teton Ridge has also established an exclusive licensing agreement with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), covering more than 600 sanctioned rodeos domestically and internationally, including the National Finals Rodeo.
“The partnership with Rural Media Group and The Cowboy Channel brought rodeo to living rooms across the world in a manner never seen before,” said Tom Glause, CEO of the PRCA. “Rodeo is a showcase of the Western lifestyle, and we are excited to work with Teton Ridge on the continued evolution of promoting our athletes and communities to millions of fans.”
Teton Ridge’s acquisition of the pioneering media company promises to further expand the reach of Western sports and culture by building on The Cowboy Channel’s already impressive array of distribution agreements. The Cowboy Channel has preexisting distribution agreements with major cable providers like Dish, DirecTV, Comcast, Cox, Charter, and Altice, among others. Teton Ridge holds distribution agreements with Fox, FS1, FS2, and DAZN for live broadcast coverage of The American Rodeo and Contender Series, bringing a love of rodeo to even more families across the country.
“This is a defining moment that solidifies Teton Ridge as an authority in Western sports and storytelling,” said Deirdre Lester, CEO of Teton Ridge. “Our journey with Rural Media Group began with brining the American Rodeo into our portfolio, and this acquisition marks the next step in our mission to showcase ProRodeo as its fans and athletes deserve — with the same level of excellence and visibility as other professional sports. We are committed to honoring the deep traditions of this sport while driving its growth and shaping the future of Western sports for generations to come.”
Founded in 2019 by investors Thomas Tull and Mark Walter, Teton Ridge was created with a prime goal of growing the reach and impact of the Western culture. Through acquisitions such as The American Rodeo Contender Series and Championship Weekend, The American Performance Horseman, and C&I Magazine, as well as original ventures such as the Window to the West docuseries and The Mauneycast podcast starring rodeo sensation J.B. Mauney, Teton Ridge has established itself as an authority within the Western lifestyle.
To learn more, head to tetonridge.com.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Teton Ridge
