Origin Sports Network, Powered By Gray Television’s Raycom Sports, Expands Distribution Partners

Origin Sports Network has expanded its lineup of distribution partners to include The Roku Channel (ch. 238, U.S. only) and Samsung TV Plus (ch. 1163), more than quadrupling its addressable audience size.

A 24/7 linear streaming network, Origin Sports offers content featuring Hall of Famers, All-Americans, All-Stars, No. 1 picks and National Champions before they became household names. Leveraging Raycom’s more than four decades of award-winning production expertise, Origin Sports launched in July with distribution on The Roku Channel in Canada and on Xumo (ch. 713) in the United States, along with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Pairing nostalgic throwback content with original programming, Origin Sports describes itself as “the destination for instant-classic comebacks, unforgettable performances, compelling stories and epic endings.” It features legendary athletes like Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal and Joe Montana — as well as current superstars like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Devin Booker and Zion Williamson.

Leveraging both the Raycom Sports and Gray TV archives, Origin Sports delivers seldom-seen footage to fans on their favorite platforms. The Rise, Origin Sports’ initial original production, is a series of conversations with standouts from the sports world, providing exclusive anecdotes and perspectives on the influences and moments that led to their incredible accomplishments.

New episodes this month will feature NFL Pro Bowler Herman Moore, and NBA All-Star Ralph Sampson, with additional episodes arriving monthly.

In the network’s second original series, Origin Sports Portraits, episodes will paint the picture of sports figures beyond their time as a star athlete. Portraits will detail their colorful personalities, focusing on other interests and relationships they’ve cultivated beyond sports. The premier episode of Portraits will feature Heisman Trophy winner, College Football National Champion head coach and visor trend setter, Steve Spurrier.

In addition to original content, Origin Sports has designed its programming cadence to align with the current sports landscape. Weekly themes anchor Origin Sports’ schedule, giving fans trips down memory lane, providing relevant programming to the trending athletes of the day, and reliving some of the most remarkable and momentous performances from the past.

Dec. 6-12: Heisman Week— Former Heisman winners take the spotlight, showcasing some of their most memorable games, including:

• 1985 Heisman Winner Bo Jackson vs. Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl just a few weeks after receiving the honor.
• 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart in one of the best National Championship games ever, against Texas and Vince Young for the 2005 title.
• 2020 Heisman Winner DeVonta Smith’s five-touchdown performance vs. Ole Miss.

Dec. 26-Jan. 2: Bowl Week — Classic moments, memorable performances and stars perform in memorable Rose, Orange and Cotton Bowls from the 1970s to today, including:

• Oregon’s Justin Herbert’s masterful performance against Jonathan Taylor’s Wisconsin Badgers in the 2020 Rose Bowl.
• Joe Montana and Notre Dame against Houston in the 1979 Cotton Bowl.
• Saquon Barkley, Chris Godwin, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Sam Darnold shine in the star-studded 2017 Rose Bowl (USC vs. Penn State).

“We are thrilled with the early growth of Origin Sports,” said Chad Swofford, VP of digital content at Raycom Sports. “In addition to our two compelling original content series, our responsive approach to programming has been well-received. Origin Sports’ agility has allowed us to give our audience historical perspective directly connected to what is happening in the sports world today.”