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Know What Is Next
The Cavaliers’ Media Rights Pivot and Building a 24/7 Team-Run Network
The Cleveland Cavaliers EVP & CIO Mike Conley turned the Cavs’ digital channels from a cost center into a multimillion-dollar revenue engine. And that shift laid the groundwork for their boldest move yet: standing up a 24/7 sports network inside the organization.
With RSN economics wobbling, Mike explains how the Cavs built optionality and formed a joint venture with Gray Media to launch Rock Entertainment Sports Network after a six-week sprint—so the club could produce live events, original programming, and distribute across both linear and streaming footprints. That mix already reaches ~2.4M Ohio households!
You’ll also hear Mike’s tactical thoughts around why every team needs media DNA, what a club-side broadcast stack looks like now, where in-house production makes sense (and where it doesn’t!) and how governance and culture drive execution.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How the Cavs and Gray Media stood up Rock Entertainment Sports Network before the ’24-’25 season to protect against RSN volatility
- The omnichannel footprint behind 2.4M households: OTA (22.1 NE Ohio), Spectrum/Charter, NCTC, plus new signals in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton
- Why broadcast now sits with IT/BI under the CIO, moving to IP video and Dante audio, and what that unlocks
- The early Cavs mandate to shift web from PR to revenue, from $900K to $6.7M in two years
- Mike’s honest view on going in-house, and lessons from peers like the Pelicans, Suns, Jazz, Rangers, and Stars
Resources and Links:
Connect with Mike Conley on LinkedIn.
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