Fox Sports Completes Deal to Buy Sports Time Ohio, Gains Rights to Indians Telecasts

http://sportsmediajournal.com/ Fox Sports announced today it has completed a deal to acquire Sports Time Ohio, the Cleveland-based regional sports network. As part of the deal Fox Sports has secured the exclusive long-term local telecast rights for Cleveland Indians baseball. Prior to 2006 the Indians had been airing on Fox Sports Ohio. It is unclear whether Fox will keep Sports Time Ohio as a separate network or integrate its programming into Fox Sports Ohio. “The acquisition of SportsTime Ohio solidifies our business in Ohio, and Fox Sports Media Group’s new long-term agreement with the Indians reunites the team with the Fox Sports family,” said Jeff Krolik, executive vice president, Fox Sports Networks. “We look forward to once again showcasing the Indians to their fans, as well as working with the Indians ownership to continue to enhance the value of this iconic franchise.” Cleveland Indians Chief Executive Officer Paul Dolan said: “We look forward to a long-term partnership with Fox that will continue to bring state-of-the-art broadcasts of Indians games to the fans while strengthening the franchise and enhancing our ability to build competitive teams.”