• by Wayne Friedman , October 9, 2014

Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest TV station groups, has given a big lift to a new local-based digital TV network, the male-centric Grit channel.

Grit will run in 47 Sinclair market stations -- bringing the network’s coverage to 73% of U.S. TV homes. Some of Sinclair's markets include Seattle; Minneapolis; St. Louis; Portland, Ore.; Pittsburgh; Raleigh; Baltimore, Nashville; Columbus, Ohio; Milwaukee; Oklahoma City; Norfolk; Asheville; and Buffalo.

Grit will program westerns, war and action films to men 25-54. It is one of a number of new locally provided networks that runs on local TV stations’ digital signals.

Grit, which launched August 18, has a sister network named Escape that targets women and is currently seen in 50% of the U.S. It's owned by Katz Broadcasting.

Sinclair owns, operates, or provides sales services to 164 TV stations in 79 markets  Sinclair's TV stations reaches about 38.2% of U.S. TV homes.

Grit already has coverage in the biggest markets from Univision Television Group, which carries the channel in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Houston, Miami, and other markets.

This is the third major distribution agreement for Grit. Another deal with Raycom Media has Grit in markets including Cleveland/Akron, Charlotte, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, and Louisville.

Jeffrey Wolf, chief distribution officer for Grit, stated: “Grit and Escape will help station groups and owners grow and prosper in this new world as consumers combine over-the-air television with over-the-top services.”

In commenting about the deal, David Amy, COO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, noted: “Broadcast television is the most effective distribution medium for any content owner wanting to reach mass audiences.”