The Cowboy Channel, operating in new studios in the Ft. Worth Stockyards, is broadcasting the Ft. Worth Stock Show & Rodeo "live on national TV for the first time," according to Brett Hoffman of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. All 25 performances of the Stock Show Rodeo, which began Jan. 17, are televised live on the Cowboy Channel, or its sister channel, RFD-TV, the "go-to source of news on agriculture, ranching and Western sports." It is part of a "new six-year media partnership" that Rural Media Group recently struck with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). On the PRCA, "iconic" rodeos in the past have been shown on cable TV, but in an edited, tape-displayed format. Hoffman notes even the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo performances from Las Vegas that have been broadcast on CBSSN in recent years have "not been completely live." But under the new agreement, the '20 NFR performances in December "will be live" from start to finish. The Cowboy Channel currently is broadcasting the Ft. Worth Stock Show's ProRodeo Tournament, a "high-profile PRCA show that's offering competitors a record purse" of about $1M. The live broadcasts "capture the rides of eight competitors in each rodeo event during each performance" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/5).
