Cowboy Channel Rides Back to Vegas for National Finals Rodeo

Hailey Kinsel Cowboy Channel Cheyenne Frontier Days
The Cowboy Channel plans extensive coverage of the National Finals Rodeo (Image credit: Steve Wrubel Photography)

The Cowboy Channel, the official network of ProRodeo, said it will be on the air for 10 nights of coverage of The 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, starting Dec. 2.

The event returns to Las Vega this year. It moved to Texas last year because of the pandemic.

"It feels like my first NFR was only just yesterday. I’ve had the privilege of watching so many great cowboys and cowgirls compete at the Thomas and Mack Center,” said Jeff Medders, president of The Cowboy Channel. “I’m amazed how the next generation of cowboys gets better and better. I’m even more excited to be back with The Cowboy Channel and to build on what we were able to accomplish last year. Get ready for another wild ride.”

The new presenting sponsor enabling limited commercial interruptions during of Cowboy Channel’s live coverage of the Finals is Pivot Bio.

This is the second year The Cowboy Channel will be broadcasting the Finals live as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s official media partner. 

The Cowboy Channel’s Finals broadcast will be simulcast on RFD-TV and Rural Radio on SiriusXM channel 147. The broadcast will showcase 4K video, employ 18 cameras plus skycam video.

In addition to The Cowboy Channel’s television network, the coverage will also be available for live streaming on demand in three languages – English, Spanish and Portuguese – on the PRCA on Cowboy Channel Plus app for $99.99 for the event’s 10 day run.

The mobile app will offer up-to-the minute scoring, news, highlight clips, standings, trivia and  interactive games. 

“Our team could not be more excited to return to Las Vegas for the 2021 NFR,” said Raquel Gottsch Koehler, CEO of The Cowboy Channel. “There is just something magical about the atmosphere inside Thomas & Mack for the NFR during December and we are looking forward to capturing the excitement and bringing the event to life like never seen before on television.” 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.